Sirex Woodwasp vs Striped Horse Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sirex Woodwasp Striped Horse Fly
Scientific Name Sirex noctilio Tabanus lineola
Order Hymenoptera Diptera
Family Siricidae Tabanidae
Size 15-36 mm 12-16 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Fungus Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions Europe, Africa, Australasia, South America Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Sirex Woodwasp

A large blue-black woodwasp that bores into pine trees to lay eggs. It injects a symbiotic fungus into the wood that feeds its developing larvae.

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Did You Know?

Females carry a special fungus in abdominal glands and inoculate trees during egg-laying.

Striped Horse Fly

A medium-sized horse fly with a pale dorsal stripe on the abdomen. Females are persistent blood-feeders on livestock and horses.

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Did You Know?

Female horse flies can extract up to 0.5 ml of blood in a single feeding.