Yes.
Tsetse flies can be seen as independent individuals in two forms: as third-
instar larvae, and as adults.
Tsetse first become separate from their mothers during the third larval instar, during which they have the typical appearance of
maggots. However, this life stage is short, lasting at most a few hours, and is almost never observed outside of the laboratory.
Tsetse next develop a hard external case, the puparium, and become pupae—small, hard-shelled, oblongs with two distinctive, small, dark lobes at the tail (breathing) end. Tsetse pupae are under 1.0 cm long.
[7] Within the puparial shell, tsetse complete the last two larval instars and the pupal stage.
At the end of the pupal stage, tsetse emerge as adult flies. The adults are relatively large flies, with lengths of 0.5-1.5 cm,
[7] and have a recognizable shape or
bauplan which makes them easy to distinguish from other flies. Tsetse have large heads, distinctly separated eyes, and unusual antennae. The
thorax is quite large, while the abdomen is wide rather than elongated and shorter than the wings.
Tsetse have an unusual
lifecycle which may be due to the richness of their food source. A female fertilizes only one egg at a time and retains each egg within her uterus to have the offspring develop internally during the first three larval stages, a method called
adenotrophic viviparity. During this time, the female feeds the developing offspring with a milky substance secreted by a modified gland in the uterus. In the third larval stage, the tsetse larva leaves the uterus and begins its independent life. The newly independent tsetse larva crawls into the ground, and develops a hard outer shell called the puparial case, in which it completes its morphological transformation into an adult fly.
This lifestage has a variable duration, generally 20 to 30 days, and the larva must rely on stored resources during this time. The importance of the richness of blood to this development can be seen, since all tsetse development before it emerges from the puparial case as a full adult occurs without feeding, based only on nutritional resources provided by the female parent. The female must get enough energy for her needs, for the needs of her developing offspring, and for the stored resources which her offspring will require until it emerges as an adult.
Technically, these insects undergo the standard
development process of insects, which consists of
oocyte formation, ovulation, fertilization, development of the egg, three
larval stages, a
pupal stage, and the emergence and maturation of the adult.