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Black Fly

Insects

Black flies are small, biting flies of the family Simuliidae whose females require a blood meal from a vertebrate host to develop their eggs, while males feed only on nectar. Their larvae develop attached to submerged rocks and vegetation in fast-flowing, well-oxygenated streams and rivers, and in parts of Africa and Latin America, black fly bites can transmit the parasitic worm that causes onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Herbivore 1
Diet
Parasitic 1
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 2
Relationship to People
Disease Vector 1
Living or Extinct
Yes 3
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Diptera, Taxa
Source Wikidata: Black Fly
Sources
1. Wikidata: Black Fly
  • Wikidata Q720467, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Wikipedia 'Black Fly': females gain nourishment for egg production by feeding on the blood of birds or mammals, including humans
  • Wikipedia 'Black Fly': feed mainly on nectar for flight energy
  • Wikipedia 'Black Fly': they spread several diseases, including river blindness
  • Child Taxon Of: Diptera, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source
2. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species APIView the Source
3. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ720467, descriptionView the Source
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