Deer flies (also known in some parts of the mid-Atlantic United States as sheep flies) are bloodsucking insects considered pests to humans and cattle.[1] They are large flies with large brightly coloured compound eyes, and large clear wings with dark bands.[2] They are larger than the common housefly and smaller than the horse-fly. There are 250 species of deer fly in the genus Chrysops. Their distribution is worldwide, though they have not been reported in Iceland, Greenland, or Hawaii.[3]
Deer flies lay between 100 and 800 eggs in batches on vegetation near water or dampness. During the larval stage, which lasts one to three years,[4] they feed on small creatures or rotting organic matter near or in the water.[1] After a pupal stage, they emerge as adults in late spring and summer. While male deer flies collect pollen, female deer flies feed on blood, which they require to produce eggs.[5] Females feed primarily on mammals. They are attracted to prey by sight, smell, or the detection of carbon dioxide. Other attractants are body heat, movement, dark colours, and lights in the night. They are active under direct sunshine and hours when the temperature is above 22 °C (71.6°).[5] When feeding, the females use scissor-like mandibles and maxillae to make a cross-shaped incision and then lap up the blood. Their bite can be painful. Anti-coagulants in the saliva of the fly prevents blood from clotting and may cause severe allergic reactions. Parasites and diseases transmitted by the deer fly include tularemia, anthrax, anaplasmosis, equine infectious anemia, hog cholera, and filiariasis. DEET is not an effective repellent.[2]
Predators of the deer fly (and other Tabanidae) include nest-building wasps and hornets, dragonflies, and some birds, including the killdeer. They are difficult to control because insecticides cannot be applied in the sensitive wetlands where their larvae typically develop. Additionally, adults may have developed a significant distance from where the eggs were laid.[2] Trapping devices and protective clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts and hats, can help avoid the annoyance and bites of aggressive deer flies.
^ abTownsend, Lee. "Horse Flies and Deer Flies". University of Kentucky. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
^ abc"Horse and Deer Flies". Medical Entomology. Purdue University. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
^"Chrysops, Diachlorus, and Tabanus spp. (Insecta: Diptera: Tabanidae)". Entomology & Nematology. University of Florida. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
^McAlpine, J.F. (1981–1989). Manual of Nearctic Diptera(PDF). [Ottawa]: Research Branch, Agriculture Canada. ISBN 978-0660121253.
^ ab"Chrysops sp". The Virtual Nature Trail at Penn State New Kensington. Penn State University. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
annoyance and bites of aggressive deer flies. Chrysops caecutiens Deerfly from coastal Georgia, US List of Chrysops species Townsend, Lee. "Horse Flies and...
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Chrysops relictus, the twin-lobed deerfly, is a largish European and Asian deerfly of about 8–10.5 millimetres (0.31–0.41 in) length, The larvae feed upon...
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stenotomus chrysops. Carpenter, K.E. (2014). "Stenotomus chrysops". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T170168A1286359...
Chrysops ater is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. Canada, United States. Macquart, P.J.M. (1850). "Diptères exotiques nouveaux ou peu connus...
Chrysops vittatus is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. United States and Canada. Wiedemann, C.R.W. (1821). Diptera exotica. Sectio II. Antennis...
Chrysops viduatus is a species of 'horse flies' belonging to the family Tabanidae. It is a Palearctic species with a limited distribution in Europe The...
Chrysops clavicornis is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. United States, Mexico. Brennan, J. M. (1935). "The Pangoniinae of Nearctic America...
Chrysops niger, the black deer fly, is a fly of about 8–10.5 millimetres (0.31–0.41 in) length, with a mostly black body with some white hairs, and having...
Chrysops flavidus is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. The species is identifiable by its yellow legs. United States. Chrysops flavidus celatus...
North and Central America to Costa Rica. The yellow fly was described as Chrysops ferrugatus by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1805. Adult yellow flies are...
Chrysops furcatus is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. Canada, United States. Walker, F. (1848). List of the specimens of dipterous insects...
Chrysops callidus is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. Canada, United States. Osten Sacken, C.R. (1875). "Prodrome of a monograph of the Tabanidae...
Chrysops geminatus is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. Canada, United States. Wiedemann, Christian Rudolph Wilhelm (1828). Aussereuropäische...
able to reach 30–35 years old. Caulolatilus chrysops was first formally described as Latilus chrysops in 1833 by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes...
Chrysops montanus is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. Canada, United States. Osten Sacken, C.R. (1875). "Prodrome of a monograph of the Tabanidae...
Anolis chrysops is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is found on the Petite Terre Islands in Guadeloupe. "Anolis chrysops". The...
Chrysops atlanticus is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. United States. Pechuman, L.L. (1949). "Some notes on Tabanidae (Diptera) and the...
Chrysops sordidus is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. United States. Osten Sacken, C.R. (1875). "Prodrome of a monograph of the Tabanidae...
Pristimantis chrysops is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Colombia. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests...
Chrysops reicherti is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. United States. Fairchild, G.B. (1937). "A preliminary list of the Tabanidae (Diptera)...
Chrysops discalis is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. Canada, United States. Williston, S.W. (1880). "Some interesting new Diptera". Transactions...
Chrysops striatus is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. Canada, United States. Osten Sacken, C.R. (1875). "Prodrome of a monograph of the Tabanidae...
Chrysops proclivis is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. Canada, United States. Osten Sacken, C.R. (1877). "Western Diptera: Descriptions of...
Chrysops indus is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae. Canada, United States. Osten Sacken, C.R. (1875). "Prodrome of a monograph of the Tabanidae...
Chrysops sepulcralis is a species of 'horse flies' belonging to the family Tabanidae. It is a Palearctic species with a limited distribution in Europe...
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