Black Fly - Simulium colombaschense -

1. Black Fly-Simuliumcolombaschense- Mr. Connelly Period 4

2. Black Fly- General Body Plan (Larvae) THORAX HEAD ABDOMEN

3. Black Fly- General Body Plan (Adult) WINGS THORAX HEAD ABDOMEN

4. 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

5. 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

6. Black Fly- Structure 3 • Antennae: • Used for sensing and “smelling” the world around the fly • Also used for communication between flies

7. 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)

8. 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

9. 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-

10. 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.

11. 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!

12. 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.

13. Black Fly- Microenvironment • Larvae • Adult

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. Black Fly- Life Cycle

18. 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

19. 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 Onchocercavolvulus a worm which can cause blindness and skin lesions if bitten enough times.

20. -Works Cited-