Seasonal-population-dynamics
Guides
Melophagus ovinus
Sheep Ked, Sheep Louse Fly, Sheep Tick
Melophagus ovinus, commonly known as the sheep ked, is a wingless, blood-feeding ectoparasite of domestic sheep. Unlike most flies, females produce one offspring at a time through adenotrophic viviparity—larvae develop internally, feeding on secretions from milk glands, and are deposited as fully-formed prepupae that quickly harden into pupae. Populations exhibit strong seasonality, building rapidly in late winter to peak in April–May, then declining through summer. The species has a cosmopolitan distribution wherever sheep are present and is of veterinary significance, though it is not an effective vector for Anaplasma ovis.