Wohlfahrt's Wound Fly vs Saltmarsh Mosquito

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Wohlfahrt's Wound Fly Saltmarsh Mosquito
Scientific Name Wohlfahrtia magnifica Aedes sollicitans
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Sarcophagidae Culicidae
Size 9-15 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Beaches & Coastal
Diet Blood Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions Southern Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

Saltmarsh Mosquito

A golden-brown mosquito that breeds in enormous numbers in coastal salt marshes. It is a strong flier capable of traveling over 60 km from breeding sites.

💡

Did You Know?

Swarms can be so dense near salt marshes that they have driven livestock to exhaustion.