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- 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- 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.