Italian Locust vs Horse Stomach Bot Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Italian Locust Horse Stomach Bot Fly
Scientific Name Calliptamus italicus Gasterophilus intestinalis
Order Orthoptera Diptera
Family Acrididae Oestridae
Size 15-35 mm 12-16 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Herbivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, Asia Cosmopolitan wherever horses are kept
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Italian Locust

A medium-sized locust with pink hindwings found across southern Europe and Central Asia. It favors dry, warm habitats and can swarm during outbreaks.

💡

Did You Know?

Its bright pink hindwings are flashed during flight to startle predators.

Horse Stomach Bot Fly

A bee-like fly that glues eggs to horse leg hairs where they are ingested during grooming. Larvae attach to the stomach lining and develop for months before passing out.

💡

Did You Know?

Larvae survive the acidic horse stomach by secreting a protective alkaline buffer around themselves.