A small gray fly less than 1/4 inch (4 mm) long with partial black bands on the abdomen. Wings are clear, legs black and white, thorax gray with weak longitudinal stripes.
They are known to occur over all of North America, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The larvae of this fly inhabit moving water and can be found any time of year. The frequency of occurrence in eastern Nebraska is unknown. The individual in the photo was collected during an insect survey in Fontenelle Forest in 2018.
This fly is also known as buffalo gnat. There are over one hundred species in the genus Simulium in North America. This fly is one of two or three members of a sibling species complex that is a carrier of a virus that affects cattle, horses and swine.
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