Woodland Pool Mosquito vs Black Horse Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Woodland Pool Mosquito Black Horse Fly
Scientific Name Aedes canadensis Tabanus atratus
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Culicidae Tabanidae
Size 4-6 mm 20-28 mm
Habitat Woodlands Farmland
Diet Detritivores Blood Feeders
Regions North America Eastern United States from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Woodland Pool Mosquito

A cold-hardy mosquito that breeds in snowmelt pools and temporary woodland streams. Larvae develop rapidly in ephemeral water bodies during spring.

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Did You Know?

Eggs can survive freezing through winter and hatch immediately when submerged by spring snowmelt.

Black Horse Fly

A very large entirely black horse fly and one of the biggest flies in North America. Females are persistent blood-feeders that can harass livestock and humans during summer months.

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Did You Know?

Its larvae are aquatic predators that live in muddy pond bottoms and can take up to two years to complete development.