blackfly

Blackfly Larvae

adult blackfly

Blackfly Adult

Blackflies

How to make the ID: small, round, bulb shaped at one end. Adults look like flies.

Its Color: green, brown, gray, black..

How it reproduces: eggs are deposited in submerged vegetation or debris.

Metamorphosis: Complete.

It is food for: fish

Its food: larvae eat organic debris filtered from the water, adult females like blood from warm-blooded animals..

Indicator: Black flies are found under rocks in swift streams, but also sometimes indicate too many nutrients (nitrogen and/or phosphorus) in the water.

Size: up to 1/3 inch.

 

 

 

Pictures and information from EPA Biological Indicators of Watershed Health are used with permission from Mr. Wayne Davis.