Glossinidae

Also known as:

TseTse flies

The only genus in the family Glossinidae is Glossina, more commonly known as TseTse flies. They are solely found in sub-Sahara Africa, and feed on the blood of vertebrates.

Glossinidae
Abb. aus Meyers Lexikon 1888, Wikimedia Commons)

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Diptera
Superfamily	Hippoboscoidea
Family	Glossinidae
Genus	Glossina

Hosts

Various mammals, reptiles and birds.

Identification

TseTse flies are 6-13mm in length, and have long, prominent forward pointing proboscis. They have a green thorax, and a yellow/brown abdomen. The wings are a very characteristic 'butchers cleaver' shape.

The larvae are a creamy white colour, and clearly segmented.

Life cycle

The females are viviparous, and only lay a single egg at a time. The fertilized eggs are held in the oviduct, where they hatch into larvae. The larvae develop, and when they are fully mature the larvae drop onto the ground.

The larvae then form pupae. This process takes several weeks, but can be considerably longer under cool conditions. The pupae transform into adults around one month later. The TseTse flies are blood feeders, and the females will require several good blood meals, before producing their first larva.

The complete life cycle of the Glossina is 2 months.

Pathogenesis

• Painful, irritating bites
  • Both males and females suck blood

• Transmit trypanosomes
  • Cause 'nagana' (wasting) disease in cattle and 'sleeping sickness' in humans

Control

• Scrub clearance to remove resting sites

• Ground and aerial spraying with insecticides

• Localised eradication using baited traps
  • Dark coloured cloth
  • Synthetic cattle urine
  • Insecticide

• Sterile male insect release