Seaweed Fly vs Angular-winged Pygmy Grasshopper

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Seaweed Fly Angular-winged Pygmy Grasshopper
Scientific Name Coelopa frigida Tettix japonica
Order Diptera Orthoptera
Family Coelopidae Tetrigidae
Size 5-8 mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Ponds & Lakes
Diet Detritivores Detritivores
Regions North Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America Japan, Korea, China
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Seaweed Fly

A coastal fly whose larvae develop in rotting seaweed wrack on beaches. It forms massive swarms on strandlines that can annoy beachgoers.

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Did You Know?

It is a model organism for studying sexual selection because larger males win more mating contests.

Angular-winged Pygmy Grasshopper

A small, dark pygmy grasshopper found across East Asia. It is one of the most studied tetrigids in Japanese orthopteran research.

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Did You Know?

Japanese researchers have documented color polymorphism in this species with over a dozen distinct color morphs in a single population.