Simulium (genus)

From Pestinfo-Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Simuliidae • Diptera (medical/veterinary) • veterinary/medical pests • pests-diseases-weeds

Literature database
330 articles sorted by:
• year (descending)
• research topics
• countries/regions
• list of natural enemies
Simulium trifasciatum (click on image to enlarge it)
Author: John Curtis’s British Entomology 1824–1840
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Simulium inaequale larva (click on image to enlarge it and read text)
Authors: CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics
Source: BOLD System

Simulium Latreille, 1802

This is the largest genus of black flies with more than 1,000 species. The genus is represented in most parts of the world. Several are important blood-sucking pests which sometimes form large swarms. The females require a blood meal while the males feed on nectar only. They bite during the day and can cause painful wounds from which they suck blood. In addition, they transmit filariasis diseases, most importantly river blindness, caused by the parasitic nematode Onchocerca volvulus. This disease affects millions of people in Africa and South America and involves large control efforts in some parts of Africa.

The adults are around 5 mm large. They breed in running water where the larvae filter out floating particles like algae. For a given species, the speed of flow of the water and the particles it contains are important factors for its breeding suitability.

Important pest species include:

In Africa:

In Asia:

In the Americas:

For other species see the list below.


Currently, the following species have been entered into the system:

Retrieved from "https://wiki.pestinfo.org/w/index.php?title=Simulium_(genus)&oldid=567480"