[9] Its bites can be painful and result in skin irritation, it is an intermediate host for the canine and hyaenid filarial parasite Dipetalonema dracunculoides, "and it may also be a biological or mechanical vector for other pathogens".

The fly has a flat head and body, mouthparts that pierce and suck, veins are in the top half of its wings, and legs with tarsal claws.

The larvae develop inside the female from 3 to 8 days and then they are laid on soil, in cracks, underneath plants, or on top of debris.

There have been reports of the species being on other animals, such as an ox in East Africa, but these records are considered to be rare occurrences.

[11] In a 1978 study, it took an adult of the species around 8 minutes to finish a blood meal and they had to feed around every 6 hours.

[13] The species is found in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and in areas throughout the Palearctic Region south of about 45° north latitude, and "is occasionally reported from countries on the fringes of this range", including Ireland, Germany, Poland, Japan, Sri Lanka and Taiwan.

It entered the Americas multiple times, with the most serious incident occurring in 1970 when cheetahs were brought from East Africa to the San Diego Zoo.