Muscidae are a family of flies found in the superfamily Muscoidea.
Muscidae, some of which are commonly known as house flies or stable flies due to their synanthropy, are worldwide in distribution and contain almost 4,000 described species in over 100 genera.
Most species are not synanthropic. Adults can be predatory, hematophagous, saprophagous, or feed on a number of types of plant and animal exudates. They can be attracted to various substances including sugar, sweat, tears 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, Musca domestica, 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 frontal suture is present, and the calypters 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:
Adia Aethiopomyia Afromydaea Agenamyia Albertinella Alluaudinella Altimyia Amicitia Anaphalantus Andersonosia Anthocoenosia Apsil Arthurella Atelia Atherigona Auria Azelia Balioglutum Beccimyia Biopyrellia Bithoracochaeta Brachygasterina Brevicosta Bruceomyia Bryantina Buccophaonia Calliphoroides Camptotarsopoda Caricea Cariocamyia Cephalispa Chaetagenia Chaetopapuaia Chaetophaonia Charadrella Chortinus Coenosia Cordilura Cordiluroides Correntosia Crucianella Curranosia Cypselodopteryx Cyrtoneurina Dasyphora Deltotus Dichaetomyia Dimorphia Dolichophaonia Drepanocnemis Drymeia Eginia Eginiella Eudasyphora Exsul Fraserella Graphomya Gymnodia Gymnopapuaia Haematobia Haematobosca Haematostoma Haroldopsis Hebecnema Helina Helinomydaea Heliographa Hemichlora Hennigiola Hennigmyia Huckettomyia Hydrotaea Idiohelina Insulamyia Itatingamyia Lasiopelta Limnohelina Limnophora Limnospila Lispacoenosia Lispe Lispocephala Lispoides Lophosceles Macroeginia Macrorchis Magma Megophyra Mesembrina Metopomyia Microcalyptra Mitroplatia Morellia Mulfordia Musca Muscina Mydaea Myiophaea Myospila Neivamyia Neodexiopsis Neohelina Neolimnophora Neomuscina Neomyia Neorypellia Neurotrixa Notoschoenomyza Nystomyia Ochromusca Ocypodomyia Ophyra Opsolasia Orchisia Oxytonocera Pachyceramyia Palpibracus Papuaia Papuaiella Paracoenosia Paralimnophora Parastomoxys Parvisquama Passeromyia Pectiniseta Pentacricia Phaomusca Phaonia Phaonidia Phaonina Philornis Pictia Pilispina Plexiopsis Plumispina Polietes Polietina Potamia Prohardyia Prostomoxys Pseudocoenosia Pseudohelina Pseudoptilolepis Psilochaeta Pygophora Pyrellia Pyrellina Reinwardtia Reynoldsia Rhabdoptera Rhinomusca Rhynchomydaea Rypellia Sarcopromusca Scenetes Schoenomyza Schoenomyzina Scutellomusca Sinophaonia Souzalopesmyia Spanochaeta Spathipheromyia Spilogona Stomopogon Stomoxys Stygeromyia Syllimnophora Syngamoptera Synthesiomyia Tamilomyia Tertiuseginia Tetramerinx Thaumasiochaeta Thricops Trichomorellia Villeneuvia Xenomorellia Xenomyia Xenotachina Xestomyia
Types Types in the Natural History Museum of Berlin
Images
Further reading Identification Hennig, W. (1955–64). Muscidae in Erwin Lindner, Die Fliegen der Paläarktischen Region 63b, Schweizerbart, Stuttgart. 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. Séguy, E., 1937, Diptera, family Muscidae. In: P. Wystmann (ed.), Genera Insectorum, Brussels, 205: 604. Includes a key to world genera. Shinonaga, S. & Kano, R., 1971, Fauna Japonica Muscidae (Insecta:Diptera), Academia press,242pp.+28Plates. Keys to Eastern Palaearctic genera of several subfamilies. Gregor, Fr. et al., 2002 The Muscidae (Diptera) of Central Europe, Brno, Folia Biologia, 107. Biology Use of DNA in forensic entomology Skidmore, P., 1985, The biology of the Muscidae of the world. Junk, Dordrecht. Series entomologica, 29, xiv + 550p.
Links to Genera and species lists Palaearctic Nearctic Japan
References
External links
Family description and images Image Gallery from Diptera.info Muscidae Pictorial atlas explaining Monstrous terms