Haemoproteus
Guides
Chrysops callidus
Beautiful Deer Fly
Chrysops callidus is a species of deer fly in the family Tabanidae, first described by Osten Sacken in 1875. Commonly known as the Beautiful Deer Fly, this species is distributed across Canada and the United States. Females possess a specialized food canal with twelve pairs of putative sensory trichites that monitor blood flow during feeding. The species serves as an intermediate host for the haemosporidian parasite Haemoproteus metchnikovi, with documented sporogonic development occurring in the fly's midgut epithelium.
Pseudolynchia canariensis
pigeon louse fly, pigeon fly
Pseudolynchia canariensis is an obligate ectoparasitic louse fly in the family Hippoboscidae that specializes on pigeons and doves (Columbidae). It is a significant vector of Haemoproteus columbae, the causative agent of pigeon malaria, serving as the definitive host where sexual reproduction of the parasite occurs. The species exhibits adenotrophic viviparity, producing one prepupa at a time that is deposited in the host's nest or roosting site. Both sexes feed exclusively on blood. The fly has been documented in numerous regions worldwide, particularly where domestic pigeons are kept, and shows limited ability to survive on human blood.