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The biggest fly: what is the name of the record-breaking fly and does it have competitors

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There are a huge number of flies in the world - in total, scientists count about 3 thousand species. None of these insects causes emotion, and a huge fly can scare. Many are interested in what the largest Diptera are and how dangerous they are to humans.

What fly is considered the largest in the world

In fact, there are enough large flies in nature, but the largest on the planet is Gauromydas heros, or as it is called in another way, the fighter fly. This species was discovered by the German entomologist Maximilian Perth in 1833.

Fly fighter (Gauromydas heros): description of the record holder

The giant fly belongs to the Mydidae family and is quite rare - it lives exclusively on the South American continent.

Appearance and dimensions

Externally, Gauromydas heros resembles a wasp. Most individuals have a body length of about 6 cm, however, some flies grow up to 10 cm. The wingspan is 10-12 cm. The color varies from dark brown to black. The body is divided into segments, a strip of bright orange color is located between the chest and abdomen. On the back there are wings with a specific pattern. They are transparent, but have a slightly brownish tint. The eyes are compound, large, dark in color.

Giant fly fighter.

Habitat

Fighter fly is a heat-loving insect. As mentioned above, it lives in South America, mainly in tropical forests.

Found in the following states:

  • Bolivia;
  • Brazil;
  • Colombia;
  • Paraguay.

The insect is not able to adapt to a cold climate - it immediately dies.

What is dangerous insect

To date, it has not been established how dangerous a fighter fly is to humans. It is known that they do not specifically attack people, do not bite them and do not carry infectious diseases, and females even feed only in the larval stage. However, an adult can accidentally "crash" into a person, after which a large bruise will remain on his skin.

https://youtu.be/KA-CAENtxU4

Other types of giant flies

There are other record holders among flies. The largest varieties of Diptera are described below.

Horse bloodsucker (Hippobosca equina)
Adults have a body length of 6 to 8 mm. The body is massive, yellow in color, the chest is pronounced. There are 2 wings on the back, which the fly drops after the first attack on the victim and can no longer fly after that. Predatory insect. Most often, horses and cattle become its victims - the fly feeds on their blood. The pest bites into the belly of the animal or the area under the tail and hangs in this position for a long time, saturated with blood fluid, which causes severe discomfort to the animal. It has a rather wide habitat: it is found in Asia, Africa, Europe, in Russia it lives in the southern regions.
Akantomera Champion (Pantophthalmidae)
Flies grow up to 4,5 cm long. The color can vary from black to reddish, but always with pronounced longitudinal stripes. A distinctive feature is the huge faceted eyes that occupy almost the entire area of ​​​​the head. In males, they are located very close, while in others they are separated by the forehead. For animals and humans, the insect does not pose any danger, it feeds mainly on legumes. It lives in humid forests from Argentina and America.
Horsefly (Tabanus chrysurus)
The largest representative of the family, which in English-speaking countries is called a bulldog fly, and in Russia gadflies or horseflies. Flies got their name because of an unusual property: during bloodsucking, they seem to become blind, lose their sight, so they are very easy to remove. The size of the insect is 3-4 cm in length. The color is grayish-brown, inconspicuous, bright stripes can be located on the back of the body, which makes the fly look like a wasp. They have powerful wings and large eyes. They feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals and humans, during the mating season they prefer to stay in packs and eat all together.
Ktyr
The insect is distinguished by high adaptive abilities and is found on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. The size of the fly depends on the climatic conditions in which it lives. Individuals living in the subtropics grow up to 8 cm, and those that live in a temperate climate have a body length of no more than 5 cm. The body is elongated, divided into segments, so the ktyr looks very much like a dragonfly. Can turn head 180 degrees. The ktyr fly is a predatory insect, its victims are most often small invertebrates.
Great gray horsefly
It has a more modest size compared to the above species. The length of its body is about 2,5-3 cm. The color is dark gray, the abdomen is dark with a characteristic pattern. Outwardly similar to gadflies, but upon closer inspection, the differences are clearly visible. Males of the great gray gossip feed exclusively on plant pollen, while females are predators. They attack mammals and feed on their blood, in some cases they attack humans. Before sitting on the victim, horseflies circle over it for a long time. The bite of a bloodsucker is very painful, but its danger lies elsewhere - it is a carrier of deadly diseases such as anthrax and tularemia.
bull horsefly
The size of the insect is 19-24 mm. The upper part of the abdomen is colored dark gray, and the bottom is yellow-brown with a brown stripe. On the head are very large eyes, which in females do not close. Males feed on plant nectar, females attack warm-blooded animals (cows, horses, other large mammals), and occasionally attack humans. The larvae are harmless and develop in moist soil.
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