Face Fly vs Sand Field Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Face Fly Sand Field Cricket
Scientific Name Musca autumnalis Gryllus firmus
Order Diptera Orthoptera
Family Muscidae Gryllidae
Size 7-8 mm 20-30mm
Habitat Farmland Beaches & Coastal
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.

Sand Field Cricket

A large cricket occurring in two wing forms: long-winged fliers and short-winged non-fliers. This wing dimorphism involves a trade-off between flight ability and reproduction. It inhabits sandy coastal areas.

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Did You Know?

Long-winged individuals can fly but lay fewer eggs; short-winged ones cannot fly but are far more fecund.