Biting Stable Fly
Description

1/4-3/8". Gray with 4 indistinct darker stripes down top of thorax. Mouthparts adapted for piercing, held projecting forward. Eyes reddish; male's almost meeting above, female's wider apart. Abdomen mottled with black spots on gray background. Legs black. Wings clear with brown veins.

Habitat
Along coasts, in pastures and barnyards, near garbage dumps.
Range
Worldwide.
Food
Adults feeds on nectar and sucks blood of large animals. Larva eats fermenting vegetation, but not manure or garbage.
Life Cycle
Female attaches ivory-colored eggs to moist surface; eggs hatch in 1-3 days. Larvae develop in 15-30 days and overwinter as larvae or as pupae. In summer, pupal stages may last only 6 days. Several generations a year.
Other
 Adults bite fiercely, often on ankles, or low on the legs of domestic livestock. They are not known to transmit diseases among people, but carry infectious anemia to horses.
Picture
Back