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The Collaborative International Dictionary
black fly

black fly \black fly\, blackfly \blackfly\, (Zo["o]l.)

  1. In the United States, a small, venomous, two-winged fly of the genus Simulium of several species, exceedingly abundant and troublesome in the northern forests; -- called also buffalo gnat. The larv[ae] are aquatic. It sucks the blood of birds as well as humans and other mammals.

  2. A black plant louse, as the bean aphis ( Aphis fab[ae]), which infests e. g. beans and sugar beets; -- called also bean aphid.

Wiktionary
black fly

n. (alternative spelling of blackfly English)

WordNet
black fly

n. small blackish stout-bodied biting fly having aquatic larvae; sucks the blood of birds as well as humans and other mammals [syn: blackfly, buffalo gnat]

Wikipedia
Black fly

A black fly (sometimes called a "blandford fly", buffalo gnat, turkey gnat, or white socks) is any member of the family Simuliidae of the Culicomorpha infraorder. They are related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Thaumaleidae. Over 1,800 species of black flies are known (of which 11 are extinct). Most species belong to the immense genus Simulium. Most black flies gain nourishment by feeding on the blood of mammals, including humans, although the males feed mainly on nectar. They are usually small, black or gray, with short legs, and antennae. They are a common nuisance for humans, and many U.S. states have programs to suppress the black fly population. They spread several diseases, including river blindness in Africa (Simulium damnosum and S. neavei) and the Americas (S. callidum and S. metallicum in Central America, S. ochraceum in Central and South America).