Slender Robber Fly vs Tundra Blow Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Slender Robber Fly Tundra Blow Fly
Scientific Name Leptogaster cylindrica Protophormia terraenovae
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Asilidae Calliphoridae
Size 8-12 mm 7-11 mm
Habitat Meadows Tundra & Arctic
Diet Predators Carrion Feeders
Regions Europe, Western Asia Arctic Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Scandinavia, northern Russia, Siberia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Slender Robber Fly

A delicate, narrow-bodied robber fly with an extremely slender abdomen. It hunts small insects among tall grass stems.

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Did You Know?

Its thread-like abdomen makes it almost invisible when resting on grass stems.

Tundra Blow Fly

A metallic dark blue blow fly common across Arctic and subarctic regions. It is one of the first flies to become active in spring. Adults are attracted to carrion and can detect dead animals from great distances.

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Did You Know?

This fly is so cold-tolerant that it is used in forensic entomology to determine time of death in cold climates where other blow flies cannot survive.