Natal Fruit Fly vs Slender Robber Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Natal Fruit Fly	Slender Robber Fly
Scientific Name	Ceratitis rosa	Leptogaster cylindrica
Order	Diptera	Diptera
Family	Tephritidae	Asilidae
Size	4-6 mm	8-12 mm
Habitat	Orchards	Meadows
Diet	Fruit Feeders	Predators
Regions	Sub-Saharan Africa, Indian Ocean Islands	Europe, Western Asia
Conservation	Least Concern	Least Concern

Natal Fruit Fly

A colorful African fruit fly closely related to the Mediterranean fruit fly. It attacks tropical and subtropical fruits across sub-Saharan Africa.

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It prefers cooler, higher-altitude habitats than the medfly, occupying a complementary niche in Africa.

A delicate, narrow-bodied robber fly with an extremely slender abdomen. It hunts small insects among tall grass stems.

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Its thread-like abdomen makes it almost invisible when resting on grass stems.