Morphology

BLACK FLIES - MORPHOLOGY
  • Body covered with short golden or silvery hairs

Head

  • Eyes: Kidney shaped compound eyes, dichoptic in females and holoptic in males
  • Antenna: Short, thick, cigar shaped which projects forward (resembles the horn of a buffalo and hence the common name)
    • 11 segmented, compacted and is moniliform or beaded in appearance
    • Not plumose or pilose- bare
  • Palps: 5 segmented, pendulous, longer than the proboscis
  • Mouthparts: biting type in female

Thorax

  • Humped over head
  • Wings:  short, broad with large anal lobe
  • Well developed radial veins (anterior veins), weaker cubital and median veins (posterior veins)
  • Characteristic feature is the presence of alary nipples on the wing which help to waterproof the wing

Abdomen

  • Male terminalia compact and inconspicuous

Simulium adult

Last modified: Friday, 23 December 2011, 7:24 AM