Glacier Black Fly vs Mueller's Thorny Stick Insect

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Glacier Black Fly Mueller's Thorny Stick Insect
Scientific Name Prosimulium alpestre Haaniella muelleri
Order Diptera Phasmatodea
Family Simuliidae Heteropterygidae
Size 2-4 mm body length 7-11 cm
Habitat Mountains Mountains
Diet Blood Feeders Herbivores
Regions Alps, Northern Europe Malaysia (Borneo)
Conservation Least Concern Data Deficient

Glacier Black Fly

A small black fly whose larvae develop in fast-flowing alpine streams. Adults are among the earliest insects active after snowmelt.

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Did You Know?

Larvae anchor themselves to rocks in torrential currents using silk pads and tiny hooks.

Mueller's Thorny Stick Insect

A robust Bornean thorny stick insect with strong sexual dimorphism. It is one of five recently revised Haaniella species.

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Did You Know?

A 2016 taxonomic revision described five new Haaniella species, highlighting how much diversity remains to be catalogued.