Wohlfahrt's Wound Fly vs Fighting Soldier Thrips
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Wohlfahrt's Wound Fly | Fighting Soldier Thrips |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Wohlfahrtia magnifica | Oncothrips tepperi |
| Order | Diptera | Thysanoptera |
| Family | Sarcophagidae | Phlaeothripidae |
| Size | 9-15 mm | 1.5-3 mm |
| Habitat | Deserts & Drylands | Deserts & Drylands |
| Diet | Blood Feeders | Gall Makers |
| Regions | Southern Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa | Australia |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
Wohlfahrt's Wound Fly
A large, gray flesh fly with dark spots on the abdomen that is an obligate parasite of warm-blooded animals in the Old World. Females larviposit directly into body openings (ears, nose, eyes) or wounds of sleeping humans and animals. It is a significant cause of human myiasis in Central Asia and the Middle East.
Did You Know?
It preferentially targets sleeping people, depositing larvae into the ears, nose, or eyes, causing severe tissue destruction.
Fighting Soldier Thrips
A eusocial Australian thrips that forms colonies inside galls on Acacia trees with distinct reproductive and soldier castes. Soldiers patrol the gall and attack intruding insects.
Did You Know?
They are one of only about a dozen thrips species worldwide known to have evolved true eusociality with a soldier caste.