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Concept
Tsetse fly
Summary
Tsetse (ˈsiːtsi , ˈtsiːtsi or ˈtsɛtsə ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies) are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus Glossina, which are placed in their own family, Glossinidae. The tsetse is an obligate parasite, which lives by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals. Tsetse has been extensively studied, because of their role in transmitting disease. They have a prominent economic impact in sub-Saharan Africa, as the biological vectors of trypanosomes, causing human and animal trypanosomiasis.
Tsetse can be distinguished from other large flies by two easily-observed features: Primarily, tsetse fold their wings over their abdomens completely when they are resting (so that one wing rests directly on top of the other); Secondly, tsetse also have a long proboscis, extending directly forward, which is attached by a distinct bulb to the bottom of their heads.
Fossilized tsetse has been recovered from Paleogene-aged rocks in the United States and Germany. Twenty-three extant species of tsetse flies are known from the African continent as well as the Arabian Peninsula.
The word tsetse means "fly" in Tswana, a Bantu language of southern Africa. As "tsetse fly" is a pleonasm, (meaning, literally, "fly fly"), recently, tsetse without the "fly" has become more common in English, particularly in the scientific and development communities.
The word is pronounced tseh-tseh in the Sotho languages and is easily rendered in other African languages. During World War II, a British de Havilland antisubmarine aircraft was known as the 'Tsetse' Mosquito.
The biology of tsetse is relatively well understood by entomologists. They have been extensively studied because of their medical, veterinary, and economic importance, because the flies can be raised in a laboratory, and because they are relatively large, facilitating their analysis.
Tsetse flies can be seen as independent individuals in three forms: as third-instar larvae, pupae, and adults.
Official source
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