Sand flies are insects very similar to mosquitoes , albeit much smaller in size.

Although they have four wings, they use only two and the female specimen is the one that feeds on blood (hematophagous), while the males feed on sugary substances (glyciphages).

Unlike mosquitoes , sand flies are silent , in fact the name is due to this characteristic: “pappa e tace”.

• Morphology
• Habitat
• Pappatacio stings

Morphology of sand flies

Sand flies are tiny insects, they can reach 4 mm. The body is covered with down, they are yellow , or rusty yellow or gray.

The peculiarity is that the upper part of the body , which we could define the chest, is wedged in the abdomen almost to form a 90 degree angle. The head has an elongated shape characterized by round and very large eyes placed on the sides, and very long antennae on top of the head.

The mouth is proboscis-shaped , facing downwards which performs the function of both stinging and sucking. The Pappataci have four wings, but they are diptera, they use only two. They don’t fly big, they report hopping like fleas

Sand flies environment

Sand flies, technically defined as sand flies , are typical of tropical countries and the Mediterranean scrub, environments characterized by a hot-humid climate.

During the day they usually prefer to stay in cool and shaded shelters, such as caves, cellars, cracks, they are in fact very sensitive to light, even some specimens can die if subjected to the sun’s rays for a long time.

In the dark they make their appearance and annoy humans and animals with stings that can bring unpleasant consequences for humans and harmful for animals, such as Leishmaniasis . 

Sand flies bites

The females of the sand flies sting out of necessity, to integrate some proteins contained in the blood and during this sucking they emit an anticoagulant salivary substance which awakens the histamine response in the human organism.

The resulting reaction is redness, swelling and itching . However, complications such as the onset of fever, chills, headache can occur. In the event that the insect is in turn contaminated by leishmaniasis , it can also transmit the infection through saliva to humans.