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Sandfly Profile Weight: 0.04 grams Size: This big Length: 2-3 mm Height: 1 mm Colouring: Sandflies are Black Maori name: Namu Scientific name: Austrosimulium australense Other names: West coast Black Flies & NZ Black Flies Profile Picture

Sandfly life cycle Females lay the eggs laid under a rock in a flowing stream. There eggs are oval shaped they a brown colour. Then it turns into a larvae, the larvae emerges through a J shaped crack it emerges with a dark head. Finally it becomes a Sandfly a normal Sandfly lives for seven to eight weeks then if it is a female it lays the eggs and it starts all over again.

Adaptive features Larvae have mini nets in their mouths used to catch food in flowing streams The female uses saw like jaws to piece our skin The female has a chemical in her saliva that stops our blood from setting

Home sweet home A Sandfly lives around water e.g. streams, swamps and beaches But when the eggs are hatching they are usually under a rock or on a leaf

Food Chain Sandflies live on leaves and other plant material that is around water. The Sandfly is not hunted but the female does hunt us and other animals. The female Sandfly sucks BLOOD to help produce her eggs. The male Sandfly is a vegetarian. NZ sandflies do not carry diseases but in in other countries they can carry deadly diseases

JOKE What did the sandfly say when it saw a camels hump A. Did I do that

They only bite during the day They also feed on nectar They prefer to bite penguins more than humans Some things you may not know They are actually called New Zealand Black Flies and West Coast Black Flies Sandflies are attracted to darker colours

Credits Wikipedia Wiki answers Stream stuff The Life-Size Guide to Insects