Tropical Bat Fly vs Milk Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tropical Bat Fly Milk Termite
Scientific Name Cyclopodia horsfieldi Schedorhinotermes lamanianus
Order Diptera Blattodea
Family Nycteribiidae Rhinotermitidae
Size 3-5 mm Workers 4-5 mm, major soldiers 7-8 mm
Habitat Caves Caves
Diet Parasites Wood Feeders
Regions South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia Northern Australia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Tropical Bat Fly

A bizarre wingless bat fly with extremely long spider-like legs and a flattened body. It is a specialist parasite of fruit bats in tropical Asia.

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Did You Know?

Its legs are so long relative to its body that it can crawl rapidly through bat fur while maintaining grip during flight.

Milk Termite

A large subterranean termite from tropical Australia with two distinct soldier sizes. Major soldiers have large mandibles while minor soldiers are smaller.

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Did You Know?

It gets its common name from the milky white secretion that soldiers exude when the colony is disturbed.