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Tse tse fly

Tsetse fly
Tsetsemeyers1880.jpg
Tsetse fly
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Infraorder: Muscomorpha
Section: Schizophora
Subsection: Calyptratae
Superfamily: Hippoboscoidea
Family: Glossinidae
Theobald, 1903
Genus: Glossina
Wiedemann, 1830
Species groups
  • Morsitans ("savannah" subgenus)
  • Fusca ("forest" subgenus)
  • Palpalis ("riverine" subgenus)
Tsetse distribution.png
Range of the tsetse fly

Tsetse (/ˈstsi/ SEET-see, US: /ˈtstsi/ TSEET-see or UK: /ˈtsɛtsi/ TSET-see), sometimes spelled tzetze and also known as tik-tik flies, are large biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus Glossina, which are placed in their own family, Glossinidae. The tsetse are obligate parasites that live by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals. Tsetse have been extensively studied because of their role in transmitting disease. They have a prominent economic impact in sub-Saharan Africa as the biological vectors of trypanosomes, which cause human sleeping sickness and animal trypanosomiasis. Tsetse are multivoltine and long-lived, typically producing about four broods per year, and up to 31 broods over their lifespans.


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Wikipedia

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