Golden Dung Fly vs Western Encephalitis Mosquito
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Golden Dung Fly | Western Encephalitis Mosquito |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Scathophaga stercoraria | Culex tarsalis |
| Order | Diptera | Diptera |
| Family | Scathophagidae | Culicidae |
| Size | 7-10 mm | 4-6 mm |
| Habitat | Farmland | Wetlands |
| Diet | Predators | Blood Feeders |
| Regions | Europe, Asia, North America | Western North America, from Canada to Mexico |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Golden Dung Fly
A common furry yellow fly that gathers on fresh cow dung to mate and hunt.
Did You Know?
Males are fiercely competitive and wrestle each other for access to females on dung pats.
Western Encephalitis Mosquito
A medium-sized mosquito with a distinctive white band on the proboscis and banded legs. It is the most important vector of Western equine encephalitis and St. Louis encephalitis in western North America. It breeds in a wide variety of sunlit and shaded water sources.
Did You Know?
Its feeding behavior shifts seasonally from birds in spring to mammals in late summer, which drives encephalitis virus spillover to humans.