User:Auralithe/sandbox2
| Black fly | |
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| Genus: | Latreille, 1802 |
The black fly (Simulium, the Czech name is used for multiple genera)[1] is a genus in the family Simuliidae. It includes several hundred species in 41 subgenera.[2] They are known as vectors of onchocerciasis (river blindness).
The saliva of these flies contains anticoagulants, various enzymes and histamine; when mixed with blood, these substances prevent it from clotting until the fly sucks it up. These flies are thermophagous; their bites cause localised tissue damage, and if there are enough of them, the bites can lead to blood loss and anaemia.
A host’s reaction to a biting midge bite may include systemic illnesses, allergic reactions, or even death, caused primarily by histamine. In humans, this systemic reaction is known as “biting midge fever” and is characterised by headaches, fever, nausea, lymphadenitis, generalised dermatitis, and allergic asthma.
In Balkan folklore
[edit]In Serbian mythology, there is a legend about Ale (a female creature associated with hailstorms, madness, and disease), who is said to have died in a cave near the Golubac Fortress in the Požarevac District of eastern Serbia. Every spring, the rotting corpse of this creature is said to send out a swarm of Golubac flies—specimens of the species Simulium colombaschense. The fact that the Golubac fly is a voracious bloodsucker and disease carrier corresponds to Ale’s character, emphasising her pernicious and even deadly influence, while the legend, in turn, provides a folkloric explanation for the origin of such a troublesome insect.[3] The species name "colombaschense" is derived from the name of the village (meaning "dovecote", from the Slavic word "golub", meaning "pigeon", which is related to the Latin "columba"—see Columbidae). During the 18th century, S. colombaschense was a well-known insect pest in Banat.
Reference
[edit] | This page contains a translation of [/wiki/Simulium Simulium] from [/wiki/Main_Page en.wikipedia]. 933800693 |
- ↑ "BioLib: Biological library". Retrieved 2020-04-18.
- ↑ "Blackflies: Introduction to the Simuliidae". Natural History Museum. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
- ↑ Karadžić, Vuk Stefanović (2005). Живот и обичаји народа српскога (in Serbian). Belgrade: Politika : Narodna knjiga. s. 276. ISBN 86-331-1946-3.
External links
[edit]
- "Auralithe/sandbox2". BioLib.
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