Vivid Dancer vs Reindeer Nose Bot Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Vivid Dancer Reindeer Nose Bot Fly
Scientific Name Argia vivida Cephenemyia trompe
Order Odonata Diptera
Family Coenagrionidae Oestridae
Size 30-38 mm 14-18 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Heathland
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions North America Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Siberia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Vivid Dancer

A brightly colored dancer damselfly of western North America with intense blue-violet markings. It thrives along desert streams and hot springs.

💡

Did You Know?

It breeds in thermal springs where water temperatures would be lethal to most other damselflies.

Reindeer Nose Bot Fly

A large, hairy, bee-like fly that squirts live larvae into the nostrils of reindeer. The larvae develop in the nasal passages and throat of the host. Adults resemble bumblebees and do not feed.

💡

Did You Know?

This fly is one of the fastest insects in the world for its size, capable of pursuing running reindeer at speeds exceeding 40 kilometers per hour.