Gershner's Jumping Bristletail vs Seaweed Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Gershner's Jumping Bristletail Seaweed Fly
Scientific Name Pedetontus gershneri Coelopa frigida
Order Archaeognatha Diptera
Family Machilidae Coelopidae
Size 8-10 mm 5-8 mm
Habitat Woodlands Beaches & Coastal
Diet Detritivores Detritivores
Regions United States North Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Gershner's Jumping Bristletail

A North American jumping bristletail found in leaf litter and under bark. It has a distinctly humped thorax and long tail filaments.

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Did You Know?

Like all Archaeognatha, it molts throughout its entire adult life.

Seaweed Fly

A coastal fly whose larvae develop in rotting seaweed wrack on beaches. It forms massive swarms on strandlines that can annoy beachgoers.

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Did You Know?

It is a model organism for studying sexual selection because larger males win more mating contests.