Saltmarsh Mosquito vs Sunflower Maggot Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Saltmarsh Mosquito Sunflower Maggot Fly
Scientific Name Aedes sollicitans Strauzia longipennis
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Culicidae Tephritidae
Size 5-7 mm 5-8 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Grasslands
Diet Blood Feeders Leaf Miners
Regions Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Saltmarsh Mosquito

A golden-brown mosquito that breeds in enormous numbers in coastal salt marshes. It is a strong flier capable of traveling over 60 km from breeding sites.

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Did You Know?

Swarms can be so dense near salt marshes that they have driven livestock to exhaustion.

Sunflower Maggot Fly

A picture-winged fruit fly whose larvae mine the stems of sunflowers. Adults have attractive amber-patterned wings.

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Did You Know?

Despite being common, it rarely causes economic damage to commercial sunflower crops.