Madagascan Flat Bark Beetle vs Bot Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Madagascan Flat Bark Beetle Bot Fly
Scientific Name Passandra boliti Dermatobia hominis
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Passandridae Oestridae
Size 10-18 mm 12-18 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Parasites
Regions Madagascar Central America, South America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Madagascan Flat Bark Beetle

An extremely flat beetle that lives under bark in Madagascan forests. Its compressed body allows it to navigate thin gaps between bark layers.

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Did You Know?

Its body is so flat it can slip through gaps less than two millimeters wide.

Bot Fly

Parasitic fly whose larvae develop under the skin of mammals including humans. Female captures a mosquito and glues eggs to it — when the mosquito bites, body heat triggers egg hatching.

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Did You Know?

The human bot fly is so devious it hijacks mosquitoes — it catches them, glues eggs to their bodies, then the eggs hatch when the mosquito lands on warm skin.