Glossina
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Glossina
(tsetse), a genus of insects of the family Muscidae. The insects, which measure 9–14 mm in length, are characterized by long, broad palpi and a long, spiny proboscis. There are about 20 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical Africa. All Glossina are viviparous. The ovary consists of a single egg tubule; the larvae develop in the enlarged vagina and are born ready to pupate. The insects inhabit moist places, mainly damp forests.
Many species are carriers of Trypanosoma, which parasitize the blood of animals and humans and cause diseases known as trypanosomiases. The species G. palpalis, G. morsitans, and G. brevipalpis are carriers of the causative agent of sleeping sickness in humans (Trypanosoma gambiense). G. morsitans and G. tachinoides carry the causative agent of nagana (Trypanosoma brucei), a disease of domestic animals.