''Lipoptena depressa'', or the Western American deer ked, is a

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

from the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Hippoboscidae __NOTOC__ Hippoboscidae, the louse flies or keds, are obligate parasites of mammals and birds. In this family, the winged species can fly at least reasonably well, though others with vestigial or no wings are flightless and highly apomorphic. As ...

and 1 of 3 flies within the genus ''Lipotena''. They are blood-feeding

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

s of the

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

- ''Odocoileus hemionus'' in the western United States and Canada particularly in regions containing the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

Life Cycle

The female fly will produce a single

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

at a time, retaining the larva internally until it is ready to

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

te. The larva feeds on the secretions of a milk gland in the

uterus The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The uter ...

of the female. After three larval

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...

s, a white pre-pupa which immediately forms a hard dark puparium. The pupa is usually deposited where the deer slept overnight. When the pupa has completed its pupation. a winged adult emerges and flies in search of a suitable host, upon which fly sheds its wings and is permanently associated with the same host. This is typical of most members of the family Hippoboscidae. Also see

Lipoptena cervi ''Lipoptena cervi'', the deer ked or deer fly, is a species of biting fly in the family of louse flies, Hippoboscidae. These flies are commonly encountered in temperate areas of Europe, Siberia, and northern China. They have been introduced to ...

for additional information on the life cycle.

Distribution/Identification

''Lipoptena depressa'' is found in the Western part of the United States by the

ranging from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Colorado, and Utah as well as Alberta, Canada. Their location depicts them apart from their relatives Lipoptena cervi located in northeastern United States and Lipoptena mazamae located in southeastern United States. ''Lipoptena depressa'' is occasionally misidentified as

Ixodes scapularis ''Ixodes scapularis'' is commonly known as the deer tick or black-legged tick (although some people reserve the latter term for ''Ixodes pacificus'', which is found on the west coast of the US), and in some parts of the US as the bear tick. It wa ...

(deer tick); however, ''Lipoptena depressa'' is considered an insect with chitinous exoskeleton; which ticks also have this type of exoskeleton, a three-part body, and three pairs of jointed legs compared to their arachnid relative.

Effects

''Lipoptena depressa'' does not distribute any known disease. However, infected white-tailed deer may suffer calcaneus hemorrhages which can lead to diseases and even death to the deer. ''Lipoptena depressa'' does not feed on humans.

References

Parasitic flies Parasitic arthropods of mammals Hippoboscidae Insects described in 1823 Diptera of North America {{Parasite-insect-stub