Glossina austeni is one of the 23 recognized species of tsetse flies (genus Glossina) and it belongs to the savannah/morsitans group (subgenus Glossina s.s.).

Glossina austeni can transmit African trypanosomasis among livestock and wildlife,[1] whilst it is not considered to be involved in the transmission of the human form of the disease.

[2] Glossina austeni was known to occur in African countries along the eastern coast, from South Africa to Somalia, but also including Eswatini and Zimbabwe.

[3] Except for Somalia where data are lacking, the peer-reviewed scientific literature for the period 1990–2020 corroborate earlier reports with Glossina austeni detected in 6 countries;[4] Eswatini,[5] Kenya,[6] Mozambique, South Africa,[7] and the United Republic of Tanzania.

[8] In Zimbabwe the latest reports date back to 1992 from an area bordering Mozambique,[9] but more recent surveys from the area did not confirm the presence of the species.