Mountain Prosimulium vs Tsetse Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Mountain Prosimulium Tsetse Fly
Scientific Name Prosimulium mixtum Glossina morsitans
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Simuliidae Glossinidae
Size 2-4 mm 8-17 mm
Habitat Mountains Grasslands
Diet Omnivores Blood Feeders
Regions North America Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Mountain Prosimulium

An early-season black fly of cold mountain streams in North America. Larvae develop in small headwater streams during late winter and early spring.

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Did You Know?

Adults emerge so early in spring that they are often the first biting flies encountered by hikers each year.

Tsetse Fly

Vector of African sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis). Unlike most flies, females give live birth to a single large larva. Both sexes are obligate blood-feeders.

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Did You Know?

The tsetse fly is unique among insects — it gives birth to live young. The female nourishes a single larva internally with a milk-like substance, similar to mammalian lactation.