Face Fly vs Mountain Prosimulium

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Face Fly Mountain Prosimulium
Scientific Name Musca autumnalis Prosimulium mixtum
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Muscidae Simuliidae
Size 7-8 mm 2-4 mm
Habitat Farmland Mountains
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, North America North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Face Fly

A non-biting muscid fly that feeds on secretions around the eyes and nose of cattle. It is a mechanical vector of the cattle pinkeye pathogen Moraxella bovis.

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Did You Know?

It enters homes in large numbers each autumn to overwinter, hence the name autumnalis.

Mountain Prosimulium

An early-season black fly of cold mountain streams in North America. Larvae develop in small headwater streams during late winter and early spring.

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Did You Know?

Adults emerge so early in spring that they are often the first biting flies encountered by hikers each year.