Tiger Hoverfly vs Congo Floor Maggot Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tiger Hoverfly Congo Floor Maggot Fly
Scientific Name Helophilus pendulus Auchmeromyia senegalensis
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Syrphidae Calliphoridae
Size 10-14 mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Forests
Diet Nectar Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia Sub-Saharan Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tiger Hoverfly

A distinctive hoverfly with bold yellow and black stripes on the thorax. It breeds in muddy, organically enriched water.

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Did You Know?

Its longitudinal thorax stripes are unique among common hoverflies, making it easy to identify.

Congo Floor Maggot Fly

A yellowish-brown blow fly whose larvae are unique among Diptera in being temporary ectoparasites that feed on sleeping humans. Larvae live in the dirt floors of huts and emerge at night to feed on the blood of sleeping people, then retreat into the floor. Adults do not bite.

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Did You Know?

It is the only known fly whose larvae feed on human blood like a bedbug, making it a unique case of larval hematophagy.