Sandflies are small invertebrate creatures. They have hair-covered wings and a body, and two long antennae. They belong to the family Psychodidae, a family of true flies with short and hairy bodies and wings and furry moth-like appearance. 

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The common sandfly, which has six long legs, lives in a humid environment and prefers sandy areas like beaches and mangroves. They feed on plant juice and sugary secretion. However, female sand flies also feed on blood to produce eggs, but males do not. 

What Sandflies Look Like?

Sandflies are tiny insects that fly, bite and suck blood. They have narrow bodies and two V-shaped wings held erect above the body. Their whole body is covered with hairs divided into three parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. They can measure up to 1.5mm to 3.5mm in length. They vary in shades of golden, brown, or grey.

The head protrudes the long and hairy antennae and a pair of two prominent dark eyes. The thorax bears a pair of wings and six long and slender legs. The abdomen is further divided into ten segments. Females have a round abdomen at the tip and appear red as they suck blood, while males have paired appendages at the end of the abdomen and appear as small spines to the naked eye.

They have six legs, longer than their body, and have long piercing mouthparts to suck blood. They have short proboscis with pendulous palp and are almost folded into two. They have a fluffy appearance and small wings as they usually do not fly but jump with their long legs.