Large Elm Bark Beetle vs Snipe Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Large Elm Bark Beetle Snipe Fly
Scientific Name Scolytus scolytus Rhagio scolopaceus
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Curculionidae (Scolytinae) Rhagionidae
Size 3.5–6 mm 10-15 mm
Habitat Hedgerows Hedgerows
Diet Fungus Feeders Predators
Regions Europe, Western Asia Europe
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Large Elm Bark Beetle

The principal vector of Dutch elm disease in Europe. Adults feed in twig crotches of healthy elms, transmitting the deadly fungus.

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Did You Know?

It was responsible for the near-total loss of mature English elms across the United Kingdom in the 1970s.

Snipe Fly

A slender, brownish fly with a pointed abdomen and spotted wings that typically perches head-down on tree trunks and fence posts. Adults are ambush predators of smaller insects.

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Did You Know?

This fly characteristically rests head-down on vertical surfaces, earning it the folk name "down-looker fly," and lunges at passing prey from this position.