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 dipteran (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''), 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 (ingested) or an analgesic cream such as After Bite (applied topically). Outside the United States, ''sandfly'' may refer to members of the subfamily Phlebotominae within the Psychodidae. 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'', a type of black fly. 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 reproducer. Some sandfly genera of the subfamily Phlebotominae are the primary vectors of leishmaniasis and pappataci fever; both diseases are confusingly referred to as sandfly fever. In Asia, Africa, and Europe, leishmaniasis is spread by sand flies of the genus '' Phlebotomus''; in the Americas, the disease is spread by sandflies of the genus '' Lutzomyia''.

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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.

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, 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, a disease caused by several species of the genus Leishmania, is transmitted by various sandflies. '' Leishmania donovani'' causes spiking fevers, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia. It can be diagnosed through microscopic review by visualizing amastigotes 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'', 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 DEET or picaridin 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 as well.

Cultural views

sandflies (which are taxonomically blackflies— Simuliidae) have a native Māori legend wherein "the god Tu-te-raki-whanoa had just finished creating the landscape of Fiordland, 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 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 (

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