sandfly

[ sand-flahy ]

noun

, plural sand·flies.

1. any of several small, bloodsucking, dipterous insects of the family Psychodidae that are vectors of several diseases of humans.
2. any of several other small, bloodsucking, dipterous insects, as one of the family Heleidae or Simuliidae.

sandfly

/ ˈsændˌflaɪ /

noun

1. any of various small mothlike dipterous flies of the genus Phlebotomus and related genera: the bloodsucking females transmit diseases including leishmaniasis: family Psychodidae
2. any of various similar and related flies

Word History and Origins

Origin of sandfly¹

First recorded in 1675–85; sand + fly ¹

Example Sentences

The team from the University of Nottingham's School of Chemistry analysed the genome of the Lutzomyia longipalpis, a species of sandfly native to Brazil and South America that can spread a disease called Leishmaniasis.

From Science Daily

He jokes that the biggest challenge he faced on “Castaways” was “sharks, sandflies and millennials,” including one of his fellow competitors.

From Seattle Times

The CDC reports that the virus can be transmitted through the bite of an infected tick, mosquito or sandfly.

From Fox News

There, amid the sandflies, we ate dinner while the cameraman took pictures.

From Literature

In the region’s brief summer, sandflies and other biting insects make the most of the warmth by exploding in population and feeding on black bears, wolves and humans.

From The Guardian