Nose Bot Fly of Horses vs Striped Seedcorn Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Nose Bot Fly of Horses Striped Seedcorn Beetle
Scientific Name Gasterophilus haemorrhoidalis Agonoderus lecontei
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Oestridae Carabidae
Size 10-14 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Omnivores Seed Feeders
Regions Europe, North America, Asia, North Africa North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Nose Bot Fly of Horses

A dark-bodied bot fly that deposits reddish-black eggs around the lips of horses. Larvae penetrate the lip mucosa and migrate to the stomach, then before pupation they reattach to the rectal mucosa, causing irritation and inflammation. The name refers to the reddish rectal inflammation it causes.

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Did You Know?

Before pupation, larvae reattach to the horse's rectum, causing such irritation that affected horses may rub their tails raw.

Striped Seedcorn Beetle

A small, pale brown ground beetle with darker stripes on its elytra. It is sometimes a minor pest of germinating corn and other crop seeds, though it also eats many weed seeds.

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Did You Know?

While it occasionally damages germinating crop seeds, studies show it consumes far more weed seeds, so its net economic impact on agriculture is actually beneficial.