Onion Thrips vs Red-footed Robber Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Onion Thrips Red-footed Robber Fly
Scientific Name Thrips tabaci Dioctria rufipes
Order Thysanoptera Diptera
Family Thripidae Asilidae
Size 1-1.3 mm 9-13 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Onion Thrips

A cosmopolitan pest of onions, garlic, and many other crops. It can reproduce both sexually and parthenogenetically and transmits iris yellow spot virus.

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Did You Know?

Onion thrips can reproduce without mating through parthenogenesis, allowing a single female to establish an entire infestation.

Red-footed Robber Fly

A slender, metallic-dark robber fly with conspicuous orange-red legs found in European woodlands. It specializes in ambushing small flies and midges from sunlit perches on leaves.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the earliest robber flies to appear each year, often active from late spring when most other asilids are still developing.