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Tsetse Fly
Related Category: Zoology: Invertebrates
(tst´s), name for any of several bloodsucking African flies of the genus Glossina, and in the same family as the housefly.
Interestingly, prior to the extermination campaign against the tsetse fly in the 1950's, rhinos had a regular habit of wallowing around midday. It was believed they did this because the flies made their lives miserable in the heat of the day.
It was also exterminated in tsetse fly control operations. Hunting for meat, hides and sport, and especially for the rhino's horn, was a major cause of decline, particularly after the introduction of modern firearms.
of the pattern allowing the animals to distinguish between individuals. A more recent theory, supported by experiment, posits that the disruptive coloration is an effective means of confusing the visual system of the blood-sucking tsetse fly.
Mammal Species of the World, 2nd edn. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington.
Wilson, VJ, & Child, GFT, 1964. Notes on bushbuck from a tsetse fly control area in northern Rhodesia. Puku 2;118-128.
 See also: Fly, Arthropoda, Mara, Fruit Fly, Common Zebra
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