Glossina Austeni Tsetse Fly vs Greenhead Horse Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Glossina Austeni Tsetse Fly Greenhead Horse Fly
Scientific Name Glossina austeni Tabanus nigrovittatus
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Glossinidae Tabanidae
Size 7-10 mm 12-15 mm
Habitat Forests Beaches & Coastal
Diet Blood Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions Coastal East Africa, from Kenya to Mozambique Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Glossina Austeni Tsetse Fly

A small, dark-colored tsetse fly found in coastal forests and thickets of East Africa. It is a vector of both human and animal trypanosomiasis in coastal regions. It was successfully eradicated from the island of Unguja (Zanzibar) using the sterile insect technique in 1997.

💡

Did You Know?

Its eradication from Zanzibar using sterile males released from aircraft was the first successful elimination of a tsetse species from an island.

Greenhead Horse Fly

A coastal salt marsh horse fly with bright green eyes. It is the most abundant biting fly along the Atlantic coast of North America.

💡

Did You Know?

Greenheads are so abundant in some coastal areas that they limit beach recreation in summer.