Soldier Fly vs Tundra Mosquito
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Soldier Fly | Tundra Mosquito |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Odontomyia tigrina | Aedes impiger |
| Order | Diptera | Diptera |
| Family | Stratiomyidae | Culicidae |
| Size | 8-12 mm | 4-6 mm |
| Habitat | Ponds & Lakes | Tundra & Arctic |
| Diet | Pollen Feeders | Blood Feeders |
| Regions | Europe | Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Greenland, Svalbard, northern Alaska |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Soldier Fly
A brightly colored soldier fly with aquatic larvae that filter-feed in ponds.
Did You Know?
Larvae float at the surface and breathe through a rosette of hydrophobic tail hairs.
Tundra Mosquito
A small but abundant Arctic mosquito with dark body and pale leg bands. It is one of the most northerly distributed mosquito species in the world. Larvae inhabit shallow tundra ponds warmed by continuous summer sunlight.
Did You Know?
This mosquito has been found breeding at latitudes above 80 degrees north, among the most northerly insects on Earth.