black fly

American  

noun

1. any of the minute, black gnats of the dipterous family Simuliidae, having aquatic larvae.

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black fly British  

noun

1. any small blackish stout-bodied dipterous fly of the family Simuliidae , which sucks the blood of man, mammals, and birds See also buffalo gnat

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Etymology

Origin of black fly

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

When he got there, everything was fine, except that her baby, he discovered, was one of two wriggling black mounds covered by swarms of black flies, which were "devouring the remnants of the placental membranes."

From Salon

The white walls are dotted with black flies - but the biggest problem is a shower room next to the kitchen.

From BBC

And keep in mind, the repellent you apply to keep mosquitoes away will also help ward off the other nasties like ticks and black flies.

From Los Angeles Times

It is now evident that both the loss of water clarity -- as well as increasing populations of black flies, which have increased due to greater rainfall -- are to blame for the population downturn.

From Science Daily

Her classmates keep interrupting her to explain why the situations she’s describing — the black fly in the Chardonnay, etc. — aren’t actually ironic.

From Los Angeles Times