Square-spot deer fly
Chrysops viduatus
The square-spot deer fly is a kind of horse fly that lives near wet meadows and bogs. Part of its belly is yellow with a neat square black spot, which gives it its name.
Lives in
Parts of Europe, in wet meadows, bogs and damp woods
Can it hurt you?
Can bite
It can bite to drink blood, like other horse flies. The bite hurts but is not dangerous. Long sleeves help.
What does it eat?
The grown-ups drink blood from big animals such as cows, horses and deer. The larvae live in wet peat and eat bits of rotting plants.
How fast is it?
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
Square-spot deer fly about 25 km/h (16 mph)
A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Its babies, the larvae, live in wet, soft peat and eat bits of rotting plants.
2
The grown-ups drink the blood of big animals such as cows, horses and deer.
3
Its middle legs are yellowish brown, which helps experts tell it apart from its cousins.
you asked
Most asked questions about Square-spot deer fly
?Does the square-spot deer fly bite?
Yes. It bites big animals to drink their blood, and it can bite people too. It hurts, but it is not dangerous.
?Where does the square-spot deer fly live?
In parts of Europe, in wet meadows, bogs and damp woods.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Chrysops viduatus
- Group
- Flies and mosquitoes
- Family
- Tabanidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Diptera > Tabanidae
- Lives on
- Europe
Where the facts come from
- Chrysops viduatus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Aiwok. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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