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Definition of Simulium
1. Noun. Type genus of the Simuliidae: blackflies.
Generic synonyms: Arthropod Genus
Group relationships: Family Simuliidae, Simuliidae
Member holonyms: Black Fly, Blackfly, Buffalo Gnat
Definition of Simulium
1. a tropical fly [n -S]
Medical Definition of Simulium
1. A genus of biting gnats or midges, the black flies, humpbacked flies, or buffalo gnats in the dipteran family Simuliidae. The aquatic larvae require swift-flowing streams or highly oxygenated waters for their development, a critical epidemiological factor in the role of these flies as disease vectors. In Central and South America, Mexico, and across central Africa, various species transmit Onchocerca volvulus, agent of human onchocerciasis; in North America, Onchocerca gutturosa and other onchocercid infections of cattle, horses, and various wild ruminants are transmitted by other black flies. Synonym: Eusimulium. Origin: L. Simulo, to simulate (05 Mar 2000)