Glacier Beetle vs Big-headed Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Glacier Beetle Big-headed Fly
Scientific Name Nebria castanea Pipunculus campestris
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Carabidae Pipunculidae
Size 9-13 mm 3-6 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Omnivores Herbivores
Regions Alps, Central Europe Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Glacier Beetle

A chestnut-brown ground beetle inhabiting the edges of glaciers and permanent snowfields. It feeds on wind-blown insects deposited on ice surfaces.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few beetles that actively forages on glacier ice surfaces.

Big-headed Fly

A small fly with an enormously enlarged, almost entirely eye-covered spherical head. It hovers in vegetation searching for leafhopper hosts in which to parasitize.

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Did You Know?

Its enormous eyes give it near-360-degree vision, allowing it to spot leafhoppers from any angle while hovering.