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Animal profile

Black fly

InsectaAdults near fast-flowing streams and rivers; larvae attached to rocks and vegetation in the current

Field profile

Black flies are small, humpbacked flies of the family Simuliidae whose larvae live only in flowing water. Females of many species bite mammals or birds; males do not. In parts of Africa and Latin America they transmit the worm that causes onchocerciasis, or river blindness.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-02-26

Black fly

Black fly larvae fish with fans in the rapids

A black fly larva anchors itself to a rock in fast water with a ring of hooks and a pad of its own silk, then opens a pair of feathery head fans into the current and combs out whatever the river carries past.

Read with evidence →

Black fly | Daily Animal Facts