''Hippelates'' is a genus of flies in the family

Chloropidae The Chloropidae are a family of flies commonly known as frit flies or grass flies. About 2000 described species are in over 160 genera distributed worldwide. These are usually very small flies, yellow or black and appearing shiny due to the virtu ...

and are often referred to as eye gnats or eye flies (the name is also used for members of the Old World genus '' Siphunculina'').

Description

They are very small ( long)

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...

that frequently congregate around the eyes to lap at the fluids. They are primarily a nuisance pest, and do not bite. They have been linked with the spread of

bovine mastitis Bovine mastitis is the persistent, inflammatory reaction of the udder tissue due to physical trauma or microorganisms infections. Mastitis, a potentially fatal mammary gland infection, is the most common disease in dairy cattle in the United Sta ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, and in certain tropical regions, they are capable of vectoring disease-causing bacteria (e.g.,

yaws Yaws is a tropical infection of the skin, bones, and joints caused by the spirochete bacterium ''Treponema pallidum pertenue''. The disease begins with a round, hard swelling of the skin, in diameter. The center may break open and form an ulc ...

). ''Hippelates pusio'' is considered to be the vector for

anaplasmosis Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease affecting ruminants, dogs, and horses, and is caused by ''Anaplasma'' bacteria. Anaplasmosis is an infectious but not contagious disease. Anaplasmosis can be transmitted through mechanical and biological vector ...

, and ''

Haemophilus ''Haemophilus'' is a genus of Gram-negative, pleomorphic, coccobacilli bacteria belonging to the family Pasteurellaceae. While ''Haemophilus'' bacteria are typically small coccobacilli, they are categorized as pleomorphic bacteria because of ...

'' spp. which cause bacterial conjunctivitis or 'pinkeye'.

Distribution

''Hippelates'' are

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeogra ...

and

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America ...

in distribution.Sabrosky, Curtis W. Nomenclature of the Eye Gnats (Hippelates spp.) Am J Trop Med 1951 s1-31: 257-25
full text
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Species

* '' Hippelates bishoppi'' * '' Hippelates dorsalis'' Loew, 1869 * '' Hippelates genalis'' Loew, 1869 * '' Hippelates impressus''

Becker Becker () is one of the German-language surnames, along with Bäcker and Baecker, that derive from the root, which refers to baking. The surname began as a name for a baker (and thus his family). In northern Germany, it can also derive from th ...

, 1912 * '' Hippelates nobilis'' Loew, 1863 * '' Hippelates pallipes'' Loew, 1863 * '' Hippelates plebejus'' Loew, 1863 * '' Hippelates proboscideus'' Williston, 1896 * '' Hippelates pusio'' Loew * '' Hippelates saundersi'' Kumm, 1936

References

External links

Entomological Society of Washington
Insect vectors of animal pathogens Insect vectors of human pathogens Veterinary entomology Chloropidae genera Oscinellinae {{Chloropidae-stub