This blood-feeding fly sacrifices its sight after finding a host

Science Daily | Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:26:08 EDT

Deer keds shed their wings,
Trading sight for energy—
Feeding in shadows.

Deer keds rely on flight and vision to find a host, but everything changes once they land. After shedding their wings forever, these parasites reduce the activity of key vision-related genes by about half. Scientists believe they are effectively trading sharp eyesight for extra energy…

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