Fusca Tsetse Fly vs Lutzomyia Sand Fly (Whitmani)

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Fusca Tsetse Fly Lutzomyia Sand Fly (Whitmani)
Scientific Name Glossina fusca Lutzomyia whitmani
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Glossinidae Psychodidae
Size 10-15 mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Blood Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions East Africa (Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya highlands) Brazil, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Fusca Tsetse Fly

A large, dark-colored tsetse fly that inhabits dense forest environments. It feeds primarily on wild forest animals and is less commonly encountered than savanna species.

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Did You Know?

It belongs to the fusca group of tsetse, which is considered the most ancient lineage of all Glossina species.

Lutzomyia Sand Fly (Whitmani)

A small sandfly that is the major vector of Leishmania braziliensis, which causes mucocutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil. It bites at the forest edge and in peridomestic environments. The disease it transmits can cause devastating destruction of nasal and oral mucosa.

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Did You Know?

Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis transmitted by this fly can destroy the nose and palate, and was depicted in pre-Columbian pottery from Peru.