Flies Flashcards
What order are flies?
Diptera
What are the two main suborders of flies? What families do they contain?
Nematocera: Stimulidae (black flies) Culicidae (mosquitos) Ceratopogonidae (midges) Psychodidae (sand flies)
Bradycera: Muscidae (House/stable/horn flies) Tabanidae (horse and deer flies) Hippoboscidae (keds), Glossinidae (Tsetse flies) Oestridae (bot flies and warble flies) Sarcophagidae (flesh flies) Caliphoridae (Blow flies
What do Simulidae flies look like?
Black flies are 1-5mm and have a humped buffalo back
What do Simulidae flies transmit?
Onchocera spp which are roundworms of horses
Protozoa of birds
Are midges and mozzies strong fliers?
No and neither are sand flies
What do mosquitos transmit?
Plasmodium, dirofillara and many viruses eg. west nile virus
Where do black flies (simuliidae) eggs and larvae live?
Eggs and larvae in oxygenated, fast-flowing water
What do black flies (simuliidae) eat?
Adult males eat nectar, adult females eat blood from wide range of vertebrates.
What do black flies (simuliidae) cause in horses?
Sweet itch
Where do sand flies (Psychodidae) live?
Sandy habitats
Eggs laid on ground and larvae (multiple stages) live in humid soil, leaf litter etc.
What do female sand flies (Psychodidae) eat?
Blood
What do sand flies (Psychodidae) transmit?
Transmit a range of pathogens in various species, but most important is the protozoan Leishmania, infecting humans and dogs and transmitted mainly by Phlebotomus spp in Europe
What is the most abundant species of biting midges (Ceratopogonidae)?
Culicoides spp.
Adults tiny and larvae/pupae are microscopic.
Where do biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) live and lay their eggs?
Live in aquatic/semi-aquatic areas. Eggs laid on water or moist ground and larvae (multiple stages, and can be maggot or caterpillar-like) live in ponds, streams or damp puddles, tree boles etc
What do biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) eat?
Adults drink nectar, but female adults drink blood before laying eggs.
What can biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) cause in horses?
Sweet itch
What can biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) transmit?
Transmit a range of pathogens in various species – eg bluetongue, African horse sickness and Schmallenberg viruses and various trypanosomes and filaroid nematodes
Where do mosquitos live?
Breed in aquatic areas. Eggs laid on water or moist ground and larvae (multiple stages) live in still ponds, water butts etc. Culicine larvae hang down, and anopheline lay parallel with surface of water.
What do adult mosquitos eat?
Adults drink nectar, but female adults drink blood before laying eggs.