Tsetse Fly

Genus Glossina - around 34 species

Appearance

Image of Tsetse fly (Genus Glossina) | Rentokil Singapore
  • Similar to other large flies. Tsetse have a long proboscis which extends directly forward of the head when not feeding.

Lifecycle

  • Can reproduce up to four times a year.
  • Adult flies live up to 4 months and are viviparous (bear live young).
  • After mating the eggs hatch and remain within the female for 9-10 days before the third instar larvae is deposited in the ground to pupate.

Habits

  • Haematophagous – feeds on human or animal blood.
  • Associated with the spread of trypanosomes (protozoan parasites), associated with many diseases in animals and man, including Sleeping Sickness (Human African Trypanosomiasis).
  • Woodland insects, found in forest edges.
  • Numbers of Tsetse flies closely related to number of suitable host animals (large mammals).