Hippobosca longipennis

Hippobosca longipennis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Hippoboscidae
Genus: Hippobosca
Species: H. longipennis
Binomial name
Hippobosca longipennis
Fabricius, 1805

Hippobosca longipennis (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), the dog fly, louse fly, or blind fly, is an obligate blood-feeding parasite of wild carnivores.[1][2] Its bites can be painful and result in skin irritation, it is an intermediate host for the canine and hyaenid filarial parasite Dipetalonema dracunculoides, and it may also be a biological or mechanical vector for other pathogens.[3][4]

Distribution

The species is found in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including China, in suitable habitats throughout the Palearctic Region south of about 45° north latitude, and is occasionally reported from countries on the fringes of this range, including Ireland, Germany, Poland, Japan, and Taiwan.[5][6] It has been transported into North America on several occasions with zoo animals.[7]

References

  1. ^ The Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. 2009. Hippobosca longipennis, Dog Fly, Louse Fly, Blind-fly, http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/hippobosca_longipennis.pdf, Last Updated: September 2009. The species name "longipennis" means "long-winged."
  2. ^ Mahmoud Hafez and Mosaad Hilali. 1978. Biology of Hippobosca longipennis (Fabricius, 1805) in Egypt (Dipteria: Hippoboscidae). Veterinary Parasitology 4(3): 275-288.
  3. ^ Center for Food Security and Public Health, 2009.
  4. ^ P. A. Rani, G. T. Coleman, P. J. Irwin and R. J. Traub. 2011. Hippobosca longipennis - a potential intermediate host of a species of Acanthocheilonema in dogs in northern India. Parasites and Vectors 4: 143.
  5. ^ Rani et al., 2011. Hippobosca longipennis - a potential intermediate host of a species of Acanthocheilonema in dogs in northern India. Parasites and Vectors 4: 143.
  6. ^ Center for Food Security and Public Health, 2009.
  7. ^ Benjamin Keh and Ronald M. Hawthorne. 1977. The Introduction and Eradication of an Exotic Ectoparasitic Fly, Hippobosca longipennis (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), in California. The Journal of Zoo Animal Medicine 8(4): 19-24.