Sonorensis Biting Midge vs South American Grain Stem Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sonorensis Biting Midge South American Grain Stem Sawfly
Scientific Name Culicoides sonorensis Cephus fumipennis
Order Diptera Hymenoptera
Family Ceratopogonidae Cephidae
Size 1-3 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Blood Feeders Seed Feeders
Regions North America, especially southwestern United States Europe, Central Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Sonorensis Biting Midge

A small biting midge that is the primary vector of bluetongue virus and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus in North America. It breeds in muddy margins of dairy wastewater ponds and is most abundant in the southwestern United States. It is responsible for severe livestock disease outbreaks.

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Did You Know?

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease transmitted by this midge kills thousands of white-tailed deer across North America annually.

South American Grain Stem Sawfly

A slender black stem sawfly with smoky wings and yellow abdominal bands. It attacks cereal grain stems in parts of Europe and Asia.

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Did You Know?

Like other cephid stem borers, the larva constructs a silken cocoon inside the hollowed-out stem base where it overwinters before pupating in spring.