Black Fly-Simulium colombaschense-

Mr. ConnellyPeriod 4

Black Fly- General Body Plan (Larvae)

HEAD

ABDOMEN

THORAX

Black Fly- General Body Plan (Adult)

HEAD

ABDOMEN

THORAX

WINGS

Black Fly- Structure 1

• Mouthparts:– Used for biting prey– Extend from mouth and

act similar to a shovel – Digs into the skin of

other organisms to draw blood

– Feeds on this blood for nourishment

– Blood contains an anticoagulant

Black Fly- Structure 2

• Eyes:– Used to view world

around organism– Contains over 4000

lenses on each eye– Poor vision, however

flies can detect movement quite well

– Can see sharp for roughly 23-36 inches

Black Fly- Structure 3

• Antennae:– Used for sensing and

“smelling” the world around the fly

– Also used for communication between flies

Black Fly- Structure 4

• Wings:– Used for flight– Beats at roughly 200

times per second (3 times faster than a humming bird)

– Flies only have 2 wings (most other insects have 4)

Black Fly- Structure 5

• Legs:– Used for adhesion and

movement while on surfaces

– Each leg is covered in a sticky substance used to cling to a surface and allows the fly to hang upside down

Black Fly- Feeding Method

• Type:– “Filter Collector”

(Larvae)– “Shredder” (Adult)

• The Black Fly (Larvae) would be considered a “Filter Collector”. It clings to surfaces with its mouth open and filters food out of the water.

• The Black Fly (Adult) would be considered a “Shredder” due to its feeding method. It will stab into a host (using shovel like appendages) and cause blood to be drawn.

-Black Fly Larvae-

Black Fly- Feeding Structure• The mouth of a Black Fly

contains 3 shovel like appendages which are used to stab a host’s flesh and release a saliva.

• This saliva contains an anticoagulant which stops blood clotting.

• The fly will then suck up the blood using a tongue-like structure.

Black Fly- Prey• Larvae

– Feeds off of micro-organisms found in the water

– EX: Water Fleas• Since the Black Fly feeds off

blood, there is a large range of prey.

• Some usual prey include:– Horses– Cows– Most Mammals– Even Humans!

Black Fly- Microenvironment

• Larvae– Type: Pool– As a larvae, this

specimen is often found attaching itself to the bottom of a creek bed thus making it a benthic organism.

• Adult– Type: Universal– As a flying organism, the

Black Fly adult can be found near ponds or creeks and is not limited to one microenvironment.

Black Fly- Microenvironment

• Larvae • Adult

Black Fly- River Continuum

• Type: Headwaters & Mid-Order– Being a collector, the

Black Fly larvae can be found anywhere between the headwaters and mid-order of the waterway.

– The adult can be found almost anywhere along the creek.

Black Fly Larvae- Pollution Tolerance

• Type: Pollution Tolerant– The Black Fly larvae can

be found in waters ranging from clean to highly polluted.

– If they are the only organisms found in a stream it is considered to be unhealthy.

Black Fly- Metamorphosis

• Type: Complete Metamorphosis – The Black Fly goes

through a complete metamorphosis during its life cycle.

– It starts as a larvae, turns into a pupa, and finally into an adult.

Black Fly- Life Cycle

Black Fly- Reproduction

• After the males mate with the females they die.

• The females will produce 200-500 eggs– Laid in water or near the

water.– Hatch roughly 4-30 days

afterwards

Black Fly- River Blindness

• When Black Flies bite, there is a chance they may transfer a deadly parasite with the wound.– They carry larvae form a

parasite Onchocerca volvulus a worm which can cause blindness and skin lesions if bitten enough times.

-Works Cited-