''Hippelates'' is a genus of flies in the family

Chloropidae The Chloropidae are a family of flies commonly known as frit flies or grass flies. About 2000 described species are in over 160 genera distributed worldwide. These are usually very small flies, yellow or black and appearing shiny due to the virtu ...

and are often referred to as eye gnats or eye flies (the name is also used for members of the Old World genus ''

Siphunculina ''Siphunculina'' is a genus of small flies known as tropical eye flies. They are known for their habit of visiting the eyes of humans and other vertebrates to feed on fluids and in doing so cause annoyance, spread bacterial or viral diseases or ...

'').

Description

They are very small ( long) flies that frequently congregate around the eyes to lap at the fluids. They are primarily a nuisance pest, and do not bite. They have been linked with the spread of

bovine mastitis Bovine mastitis is the persistent, inflammatory reaction of the udder tissue due to physical trauma or microorganisms infections. Mastitis, a potentially fatal mammary gland infection, is the most common disease in dairy cattle in the United Stat ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, and in certain tropical regions, they are capable of vectoring disease-causing bacteria (e.g.,

yaws Yaws is a tropical infection of the skin, bones, and joints caused by the spirochete bacterium ''Treponema pallidum pertenue''. The disease begins with a round, hard swelling of the skin, in diameter. The center may break open and form an ulce ...

). ''Hippelates pusio'' is considered to be the vector for

anaplasmosis Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease affecting ruminants, dogs, and horses, and is caused by ''Anaplasma'' bacteria. Anaplasmosis is an infectious but not contagious disease. Anaplasmosis can be transmitted through mechanical and biological vector ...

, and ''

Haemophilus ''Haemophilus'' is a genus of Gram-negative, pleomorphic, coccobacilli bacteria belonging to the family Pasteurellaceae. While ''Haemophilus'' bacteria are typically small coccobacilli, they are categorized as pleomorphic bacteria because of ...

'' spp. which cause bacterial conjunctivitis or 'pinkeye'.

Distribution

''Hippelates'' are Neotropical and

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...

in distribution.Sabrosky, Curtis W. Nomenclature of the Eye Gnats (Hippelates spp.) Am J Trop Med 1951 s1-31: 257-25
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Species

* ''

Hippelates bishoppi ''Hippelates'' is a genus of flies in the family Chloropidae and are often referred to as eye gnats or eye flies (the name is also used for members of the Old World genus ''Siphunculina''). Description They are very small ( long) Gnat, flies th ...

'' * ''

Hippelates dorsalis ''Hippelates'' is a genus of flies in the family Chloropidae and are often referred to as eye gnats or eye flies (the name is also used for members of the Old World genus ''Siphunculina''). Description They are very small ( long) flies that fr ...

'' Loew, 1869 * '' Hippelates genalis'' Loew, 1869 * '' Hippelates impressus''

Becker Becker () is one of the German-language surnames, along with Bäcker and Baecker, that derive from the root, which refers to baking. The surname began as a name for a baker (and thus his family). In northern Germany it can also derive from the ...

, 1912 * '' Hippelates nobilis'' Loew, 1863 * '' Hippelates pallipes'' Loew, 1863 * '' Hippelates plebejus'' Loew, 1863 * '' Hippelates proboscideus'' Williston, 1896 * '' Hippelates pusio'' Loew * ''

Hippelates saundersi ''Hippelates'' is a genus of flies in the family Chloropidae and are often referred to as eye gnats or eye flies (the name is also used for members of the Old World genus ''Siphunculina''). Description They are very small ( long) flies that fr ...

'' Kumm, 1936

References

External links

Entomological Society of Washington
Insect vectors of animal pathogens Insect vectors of human pathogens Veterinary entomology Chloropidae genera Oscinellinae {{Chloropidae-stub