Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Species Lipoptena cervi - Deer Ked

Bug I found on my goats in VT - Lipoptena cervi Bug I found on my goats in VT - Lipoptena cervi Very small insect found on my neck - Lipoptena cervi Deer Ked - Lipoptena cervi Lipoptena cervi Lipoptena cervi Lipoptena cervi Lipoptena cervi
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon (Calyptratae)
Superfamily Hippoboscoidea
Family Hippoboscidae (Louse Flies)
Subfamily Lipopteninae
Genus Lipoptena
Species cervi (Deer Ked)
Other Common Names
Old World Deer Ked, Deer Fly, Elk Fly
Explanation of Names
Lipoptena cervi (Linnaeus 1758)
Size
3.5-5 mm
Range
native to the Palaearctic, adventive in NA and widespread in ne US (NH-VA)(1)
Season
adults fly in the fall, sometimes until December
Food
hosts: elk, deer and other bovines
preferred host in Europe: moose(1)
Works Cited
1.Deer Keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae: Lipoptena and Neolipoptena) in the United States and Canada...
Skvarla M.J., Machtinger E.T. 2019. J. Med. Entomol. XX(X): 1-17.