Sandfly or sand fly is a colloquial name for any species or

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of flying, biting, blood-sucking

diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advance ...

n (fly) encountered in sandy areas. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, ''sandfly'' may refer to certain horse flies that are also known as "greenheads" (family ''

Tabanidae Horse flies and deer flies are true flies in the family Tabanidae in the insect order Diptera. The adults are often large and agile in flight. Only females bite land vertebrates, including humans, to obtain blood. They prefer to fly in sunli ...

''), or to members of the family ''

Ceratopogonidae Ceratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, sand flies or biting midges, generally in length. The family includes more than 5,000 species, distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic. A 2025 study fro ...

''. The bites usually result in a small, intensely itchy bump or welt, the strength of which intensifies over a period of 5-7 days before dissipating. Sandfly bites can be distinguished from mosquito bites as sandfly bite are usually found in clusters as they attack animals in groups. Moderate relief is achieved with varying success through the application of over-the-counter products such as

Benadryl Benadryl is a brand of various antihistamine medications used to stop allergy, allergies, whose content varies in different countries, but which includes some combination of diphenhydramine, acrivastine, or cetirizine. It is sold by Kenvue and ...

(ingested) or an

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...

cream such as After Bite (applied topically). Outside the United States, ''sandfly'' may refer to members of the subfamily

Phlebotominae The Phlebotominae are a subfamily of the family Psychodidae. In several countries, their common name is sandfly, but that name is also applied to other flies. The Phlebotominae include many genera of blood-feeding ( hematophagous) flies, includi ...

within the

Psychodidae Psychodidae, also called drain flies, sink flies, filter flies, sewer flies, or sewer gnats, is a Family (biology), family of Fly, true flies. Some genera have short, hairy bodies and wings, giving them a "furry" moth-like appearance, hence one ...

. Biting midges (

) are sometimes called sandflies or no-see-ums (no-see-em, noseeum).

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

sandflies are in the genus of sand fly ''

Austrosimulium ''Austrosimulium'' is a genus of about 30 species of black flies that are distributed in Australia and New Zealand. There are 2 subgenera: '' Austrosimulium'' whose species are principally from New Zealand, and '' Novaustrosimulium'' which are e ...

'', a type of

black fly A black fly or blackfly (sometimes called a buffalo gnat, turkey gnat, or white socks) is any member of the family Simuliidae of the Culicomorpha infraorder. It is related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Thaumaleidae. Over 2,200 s ...

. In the various sorts of sandfly only the female is responsible for biting and sucking the blood of mammals, reptiles and birds; the protein in the blood is necessary for the production of eggs, making the sandfly an

anautogenous In entomology, anautogeny is a reproductive strategy in which an adult female insect must eat a particular sort of meal (generally vertebrate blood) before laying eggs in order for her eggs to mature. This behavior is most common among dipteran in ...

reproducer. Some sandfly genera of the subfamily Phlebotominae are the primary vectors of

leishmaniasis Leishmaniasis is a wide array of clinical manifestations caused by protozoal parasites of the Trypanosomatida genus ''Leishmania''. It is generally spread through the bite of Phlebotominae, phlebotomine Sandfly, sandflies, ''Phlebotomus'' an ...

and

pappataci fever Pappataci fever (also known as phlebotomus fever and, somewhat confusingly, sandfly fever and three-day fever) is a vector-borne febrile arboviral infection caused by three serotypes of Phlebovirus. It occurs in subtropical regions of the Eas ...

; both diseases are confusingly referred to as sandfly fever. In Asia, Africa, and Europe, leishmaniasis is spread by sand flies of the genus ''

Phlebotomus ''Phlebotomus'' is a genus of " sand flies" in the Diptera family Psychodidae. In the past, they have sometimes been considered to belong in a separate family, Phlebotomidae, but this alternative classification has not gained wide acceptance. E ...

''; in the Americas, the disease is spread by sandflies of the genus ''

Lutzomyia ''Lutzomyia'' is a genus of Phlebotominae, phlebotomine Sandfly, sand flies consisting of nearly 400 species, at least 33 of which have medical importance as Vector (epidemiology), vectors of human disease. Species of the genus ''Lutzomyia'' are ...

''.

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

and

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

are notorious in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

for their sandfly populations and travel pages frequently warn tourists to bring bug spray containing high concentrations of

DEET ''N'',''N''-Diethyl-''meta''-toluamide, also called diethyltoluamide or DEET (, from DET, the initials of di- + ethyl + toluamide), is the oldest, one of the most effective, and most common active ingredients in commercial insect repellents. ...

Viruses

Among the viruses that sandflies can carry is the

Chandipura virus Chandipura virus (CHPV) is a member of the ''Rhabdoviridae'' family that is associated with an encephalitis, encephalitic illness, ''Chandipura encephalitis'' or ''Chandipura viral encephalitis'', in humans. It was first identified in 1965 after ...

, which, as a cousin of

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...

, is deadly. There was an outbreak in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 2010, followed by an endemic outbreak recorded in

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

in 2024.

Protozoa

Leishmaniasis Leishmaniasis is a wide array of clinical manifestations caused by protozoal parasites of the Trypanosomatida genus ''Leishmania''. It is generally spread through the bite of Phlebotominae, phlebotomine Sandfly, sandflies, ''Phlebotomus'' an ...

, a disease caused by several species of the genus

Leishmania ''Leishmania'' () is a genus of parasitic protozoans, single-celled eukaryotic organisms of the trypanosomatid group that are responsible for the disease leishmaniasis. The parasites are transmitted by sandflies of the genus '' Phlebotomus'' ...

, is transmitted by various sandflies. ''

Leishmania donovani ''Leishmania donovani'' is a species of intracellular parasites belonging to the genus ''Leishmania'', a group of haemoflagellate kinetoplastids that cause the disease leishmaniasis. It is a human blood parasite responsible for visceral leishm ...

'' causes spiking fevers,

hepatosplenomegaly Hepatosplenomegaly (commonly abbreviated HSM) is the simultaneous enlargement of both the liver (hepatomegaly) and the spleen (splenomegaly). Hepatosplenomegaly can occur as the result of acute viral hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis, and his ...

, and

pancytopenia Pancytopenia is a medical condition in which there is significant reduction in the number of almost all blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, monocytes, lymphocytes, etc.). If only two parameters from the complete blood cou ...

. It can be diagnosed through microscopic review by visualizing

amastigote An amastigote is a protist cell that does not have visible external flagella or cilia. The term is used mainly to describe an intracellular phase in the life-cycle of trypanosomes that replicates. It is also called the leishmanial stage, since in ...

s in containing

macrophage Macrophages (; abbreviated MPhi, φ, MΦ or MP) are a type of white blood cell of the innate immune system that engulf and digest pathogens, such as cancer cells, microbes, cellular debris and foreign substances, which do not have proteins that ...

s, and is treatable with sodium stibogluconate.

Bacteria

Bartonella bacilliformis ''Bartonella bacilliformis'' is a bacterium, Gram negative aerobic, pleomorphic, flagellated, motile, coccobacillary, 2–3 μm long, 0.2–0.5 μm wide, and a facultative intracellular bacterium. History The bacterium was discovered by Per ...

'', the causal agent of Carrion's disease, is transmitted by different members of the genus ''Lutzomyia''. This disease is restricted to Andean areas of Peru and Ecuador, with historical reports in Southern Colombia.

Prevention

Over-the-counter repellents with high concentrations of

picaridin Icaridin, also known as picaridin, is an insect repellent which can be used directly on skin or clothing. It has broad efficacy against various arthropods such as mosquitos, ticks, gnats, flies and fleas, and is almost colorless and odorless. A s ...

are proven to work; however effectiveness seems to differ among individuals with some people reporting better results with one product over another while other people finding neither product effective for them. This may be partially due to various species living in different areas. A particular extract of lemon eucalyptus oil (not the essential oil) has now been shown to be as effective as DEET in various studies. Most information on repellents focuses on mosquitoes, but mosquito repellents are effective for sandflies and

midges A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some midg ...

as well.

Cultural views

sandflies (which are taxonomically blackflies—

Simuliidae A black fly or blackfly (sometimes called a buffalo gnat, turkey gnat, or white socks) is any member of the family Simuliidae of the Culicomorpha infraorder. It is related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Thaumaleidae. Over 2,200 spe ...

) have a native

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

legend wherein "the god Tu-te-raki-whanoa had just finished creating the landscape of

Fiordland Fiordland (, "The Pit of Tattooing", and also translated as "the Shadowlands"), is a non-administrative geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western third of Southland. Most of F ...

, it was absolutely stunning... so stunning that it stopped people from working. They just stood around gazing at the beauty instead. The goddess

Hine-nui-te-pō Hine-nui-te-pō ("the great woman of the night") in Māori legends, is a goddess of night who receives the spirits of humans when they die. She is the daughter of Tāne Mahuta / Tāne Tuturi and Hine-ahuone. It is believed among Māori that ...

became angry at these unproductive people, so she created the sandfly to bite them and get them moving". These sand flies were able, according to another Māori legend, to revive the dead hero Ha-tupatu.Ha-tupatu and the sand flies
Maori.org.nz. Retrieved on 2011-06-15. File:Indonesian sandfly bites on leg.jpg, alt=Bites on thigh from sandfly, Indonesian sandfly bites on leg File:SandFlyBite.JPG, Sandfly bite File:Sandflies GeorgesRiverNationalPark.jpg, A swarm of sandflies at

Georges River National Park Georges River National Park is a protected Australian National Park, under the management of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (New South Wales), NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. The park falls in the regions of the Sutherland Sh ...

(

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Sand Flies – Beaufort County Library (via Internet Archive)

Infectious skin disease found in Texas
September 15, 2007 Breaking News – Sandfly may carry parasites that will cause infectious skin disease called leishmaniasis.

Insect common names Flies