Muscidae are a family of Fly found in the superfamily Muscoidea.
Muscidae, some of which are commonly known as housefly or Stable fly due to their Synanthrope, are worldwide in distribution and contain almost 4,000 described species in over 100 genera.
Most species are not synanthropic. Adults can be predatory, hematophagy, saprophage, or feed on a number of types of plant and animal . They can be attracted to various substances including sugar, sweat, tears [1] and blood. Larvae occur in various habitats including decaying vegetation, dry and wet soil, nests of insects and birds, fresh water, and carrion.
The Housefly, is the best known and most important species.
Some, from the genera Hydrotaea and Muscina, are involved in forensic case studies.
Identifying characteristics
The antennae are three-segmented and aristate; vein Rs is two-branched, a
Schizophora suture is present, and the
are well developed. The arista is often plumose for the entire length. The hypopleuron is usually without bristles; generally, more than one
sternopleural bristle is present. The R5 cell is either parallel-sided or narrowed distally. Vein 2A is short and does not reach the wing margin.
The Fanniidae, which used to be a subfamily (Fanniinae) of the Muscidae, share these characters, but may be separated from them by the absence of the identifying characteristics for the family Fanniidae.
Biology
Larvae mainly develop in decaying plant material or manure.
Health and economic importance
Adults of many species are passive vectors of pathogens for diseases such as
typhoid fever,
dysentery,
anthrax, and African sleeping sickness.
Larvae of some Atherigona species are important pests in cultivation of cereals, like rice and maize.
Evolution
Seven species in six described genera have been recorded from the fossil record. Lambrecht (1980: 369) estimated that the family Muscidae originated as long ago as the
Permian, although no fossil record exists for the family any older than the
Eocene.
Genera
List of genera according to the Catalogue of Life:
Types
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Types in the Natural History Museum of Berlin
==Images==
Further reading
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Identification
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Hennig, W. (1955–64). Muscidae in Erwin Lindner, Die Fliegen der Paläarktischen Region 63b,Schweizerbart,Stuttgart.
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Huckett, H.C. 1965. The Muscidae of northern Canada, Alaska and Greenland (Diptera). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada 42: 1–369. 23 plates of drawings.
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Séguy, E., 1937, Diptera, family Muscidae. In: P. Wystmann (ed.), Genera Insectorum, Brussels, 205: 604. Includes a key to world genera.
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Shinonaga, S. & Kano, R., 1971, Fauna Japonica Muscidae (Insecta:Diptera), Academia press,242pp.+28Plates. Keys to Eastern Palaearctic genera of several subfamilies.
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Gregor, Fr. et al., 2002 The Muscidae (Diptera) of Central Europe, Brno, Folia Biologia, 107.
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Biology
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Use of DNA in forensic entomology
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Skidmore, P., 1985, The biology of the Muscidae of the world. Junk, Dordrecht. Series entomologica, 29, xiv + 550p.
Links to Genera and species lists
External links
