Onion Thrips vs Throat Bot Fly of Horses

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Onion Thrips Throat Bot Fly of Horses
Scientific Name Thrips tabaci Gasterophilus nasalis
Order Thysanoptera Diptera
Family Thripidae Oestridae
Size 1-1.3 mm 11-15 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Herbivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania Worldwide wherever horses are kept
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.

Throat Bot Fly of Horses

A yellowish-brown bot fly that lays eggs under the jaw of horses. Larvae migrate to the area between the teeth and gums before traveling to the pyloric region of the stomach and duodenum. It is one of the most common horse bot flies worldwide.

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Did You Know?

Unlike other horse bots, this species' larvae prefer the duodenum over the stomach, a unique niche among Gasterophilus species.