Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Haematobia irritans

Haematobia irritans

9.9
A small dark fly that bites cows near their horns
  • noun
  • /hiˈmætəˌbiə ɪˈrɪtəns/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Haematobia irritans
  • Haematobia irritans can cause discomfort to cattle by feeding on their blood, especially near the horns.

Examples

  • Reducing the population of Haematobia irritans is a key concern for livestock farmers during the summer months.

  • Veterinarians recommend monitoring for Haematobia irritans as part of herd health management.

  • Haematobia irritans infestations can lead to significant weight loss in cattle herds.

  • The Haematobia irritans is a common pest on cattle farms.

  • Farmers often struggle with Haematobia irritans infestations.

  • Controlling Haematobia irritans populations is essential for maintaining the health of cattle.

  • Farmers need to regularly check for signs of Haematobia irritans to protect their livestock.

Synonyms

horn fly
vsHaematobia irritans
  • Specialized
9.8

A small black fly that sucks blood from cows near their horns

is the scientific Latin name used in formal or technical contexts

Surface Forms

Haematobia irritans singular
Haematobia irritanses plural

Morphology

Haematobia + irritans

This is a Linnaean binomial: 'Haematobia' identifies a genus of blood-related flies and 'irritans' is a Latin species epithet meaning 'irritating'. For a learner who knows those constituents, the name partially signals a blood-feeding, pestiferous fly, but the full specific behaviour and target (cattle horn-feeding) are specialized and rely on taxonomic/Latinate knowledge. Because some semantic information is recoverable from the parts but the label remains technical and not fully predictable to general B1 learners, it is semi-transparent.

Etymology

Haematobia irritans may come from old words that mean 'blood' and 'annoying': the part haemato- points to 'blood' and irritans means 'annoying'. That's fitting because this small fly lives on cattle and bites near the horns to drink blood, so the name describes a blood-sucking, irritating fly.