Glossina Austeni Tsetse Fly vs Huia Ground Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Glossina Austeni Tsetse Fly Huia Ground Beetle
Scientific Name Glossina austeni Mecodema huia
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Glossinidae Carabidae
Size 7-10 mm 22-30 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Blood Feeders Predators
Regions Coastal East Africa, from Kenya to Mozambique New Zealand (North Island)
Conservation Least Concern Near Threatened

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.

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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.

Huia Ground Beetle

A large, flightless ground beetle endemic to New Zealand with a heavily sculptured dark body. It is named after the extinct huia bird and found in native forest remnants.

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Did You Know?

New Zealand has an extraordinary radiation of endemic Mecodema ground beetles, with over 50 species that evolved in isolation, many confined to single mountain ranges or forests.