louse fly; hippoboscid
Refers to any fly of the family Hippoboscidae, which are ectoparasites of birds and mammals. The Japanese name literally means 'louse fly'.
Louse flies parasitize birds and mammals.
There was a louse fly on the pigeon.
Katakana spelling is common for this insect name; usually written in kana.
Kanji form using 虱 (louse) and 蠅 (fly); rarely used in practice.
Variant kanji form with 蝿 (fly); also rare.
Compound of シラミ (louse) and ハエ (fly), referring to its louse-like parasitic nature. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.