Phlebotomus sp (Insect identification with medical importance)

 Identifying characters are as follows:

• Adults are small fly, yellowish in colour, covered with dense conspicuous hairs on the body, legs & wings. 
• Rostrate mouthparts. Palpi with 4 segments.
• Markedly large eyes,black,conspicousbsence of Ocelli.
• Narrow oval wings ,upright, with prominent venation, lanceolate & hairy. Carried at a noticeable angle(about 40degree) over the back ,not flat over the abdomen.
• Antennae with 12-16 segments.
• Both sexes have long slender legs & a humped thorax.

    Male: 

1. Presence of  7 partly & 8 wholly abdominal segments, rotated dextrally through 180degree.
2. 9th segment not clearly discernible.
3. Behind 8th segment  Clasper & substyles are present.
4. Cerci is present on the inconspicuous segment 10.       

     Female: 

1. Large teeth present on pharynx.
2. Paired anal recti.
3. Spermathecae of uniform width throughout its whole length & with smooth walls.

                                  Hence, the specimen seems to be Phlebotomous sp

Systematic position: (Ruppert & Barnes 1994)

Kingdom: Animalia

   Sub Phylum: Uniramia

     Class:Insecta

          Order:Diptera

                  Genus: Phlebotomus

Medical importance:

Sand fly or Phlebotomus sp. is medically important as the vectors of Leishmania spp. and Arboviruses that threaten human and animal health. They also spread sand fly fever, and Bartonellosis through their bites, making them significant vectors affecting global health.