Snipe Fly vs Borneo Giant Firefly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Snipe Fly Borneo Giant Firefly
Scientific Name Rhagio scolopaceus Lamprigera borneensis
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Rhagionidae Lampyridae
Size 10-15 mm 25-60 mm (female), 12-18 mm (male)
Habitat Hedgerows Forests
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Europe Southeast Asia, Borneo
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Snipe Fly

A slender, brownish fly with a pointed abdomen and spotted wings that typically perches head-down on tree trunks and fence posts. Adults are ambush predators of smaller insects.

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Did You Know?

This fly characteristically rests head-down on vertical surfaces, earning it the folk name "down-looker fly," and lunges at passing prey from this position.

Borneo Giant Firefly

A very large tropical firefly from Borneo with massive larviform females that glow brightly. Males are smaller and winged with well-developed eyes for locating glowing females on the forest floor.

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Did You Know?

The enormous larviform females are sometimes mistaken for caterpillars or worms by people encountering them on the forest floor.