Family Muscidae

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Habitat · Remarks · Print References · Works Cited

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon (Calyptratae)

Superfamily Muscoidea

Family Muscidae

Explanation of Names

Muscidae Latreille 1802

Numbers

~700 spp. in our area(1), >5,200 spp. in ~190 genera total(2)

Identification

antennae 3-segmented, aristate; vein Rs 2-branched, frontal suture present, calypters well developed, arista usually plumose for the entire length, hypopleuron usually without bristles; generally more than one sternopleural bristle, R5 cell either parallel sided or narrowed distally, vein 2A short and not reaching wing margin.

Keys to Neotropical species in (3)

Range

worldwide

Habitat

Larvae in dung, carrion, soil, nests, decaying vegetation, etc.

Remarks

Adults of some species bite or passively spread agents of typhoid fever, dysentery, anthrax, and African sleeping sickness

Print References

(4)(5)

Works Cited

1.	Insects: Their Natural History And Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America Stephen A. Marshall. 2006. Firefly Books Ltd.

2.	Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification... Pape T., Blagoderov V., Mostovski M.B. 2011. Zootaxa 3148: 222–229.

3.	Muscidae (Diptera) Of The Neotropical Region. Taxonomy Carvalho, C.J.B . 2002. Editora UFPR.

4.	DNA barcoding of northern Nearctic Muscidae (Diptera) reveals high correspondence between morphological and molecular species... Renaud, A.K., J. Savage, and S.J. Adamowicz. 2012. BMC Ecology,12:24.

5.	The biology of the Muscidae of the world Skidmore P. 1985. Springer, 550 pp.

Contributed by john and jane balaban on 21 September, 2004 - 5:40pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, Keith Bayless, Bbarnd, v belov, Arturo Santos
Last updated 8 May, 2024 - 2:05pm

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