Sandfly

Sandfly is the common name of a flying, biting, blood-suckinginsectfound in many countries. Some socalled insects are a type of Midge.

A sandfly is also known in Floridaand elsewhere as a Sandflea, No-see-um, No-see-em, Noseeum, or Punkie.

The sandfly is the primary vector of leishmaniasisand sandfly fever. In the new world, leishmaniasis is spread by sandflies of the genus Lutzomyia. In the old world, the disease is spread by sandflies of the genus Phlebotomus.

Female sandflies suck blood from many warm-bloodedanimalsbecause the blood helps to create eggs. One species attacks penguins as well. Only female sandflies bite. Female sandflies use their mouthparts to create a pool of blood, which is then sucked up. They inject histamine to prevent blood clotting, similar to the feeding habits of a female mosquito.

<Females lay their eggs in moving bodies of water, such as rivers and streams. One blood meal can result in the creation of up to 100 eggs.>

Sandflies are small (about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen), making them hard to detect. Their bite is generally not felt and leaves a small round, reddish bump that starts itching hours or days later. Use of insect repellent is recommended in areas where sandflies are present.

• A classification of the subfamily Phlebotominae.Pubmed 1991
• CIPA Computer-aided Identification of Phlebotomine sandlies of America

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It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandfly Wikipedia article Sandfly.