Little housefly
| Little housefly | ||||||||||||
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Little housefly ♂ (Fannia canicularis) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Fannia canicularis | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1761) |
The little housefly ( Fannia canicularis ) is a fly from the Fanniidae family .
description
The slim bow tie reaches a length of four to six millimeters. The head of the male is almost completely taken up by the white-rimmed eyes, while the female's eyes do not meet. The brown-gray thorax in the males has three black longitudinal stripes, in the females this drawing is much more indistinct.
The abdomen is translucent yellow at the base on segments two to four and dark brown at the end. The dark trapezoidal spots of the males are hardly noticeable in the females, the swinging bulbs appear yellowish.
development
In packs of up to 50 eggs, the females lay hundreds, a total of up to 2,000 eggs. The eggs that have flap-shaped appendages are deposited in very moist, putrefactive substances, for example damp manure, dog excrement, cow dung, liquid manure, faecal pits, kitchen waste such as rotting potatoes or beets, silage and compost, but also organic bins, landfills, cheese, bacon and dried fish. At 24–27 ° C, the larvae hatch within 24 to 48 hours. At a favorable temperature (around 30 ° C) the development from egg to full insect only takes 7 days. The light brown, flat, up to six millimeters long maggots carry a pair of thread-like body appendages with small thorns on each body ring on the sides and back. These extensions, which can also be found on the dolls, enable them to move in liquid substances. By their appendages, the maggots and the pupae can be immediately distinguished from the smooth maggots and pupae of the large housefly ( Musca domestica ).
The larval development takes seven to ten days, the pupal phase four to six days. The entire development period of the small housefly takes 24 to 30 days, depending on the temperature. Hibernation takes place in the larval or pupal stage.
behavior
The flies of the species believed to be found worldwide have a life expectancy of two to three weeks. In Central Europe, around seven generations can arise each year. They often hover over and suckle on faeces and vertebrate corpses. Because of its shuttling between faeces and food, the species is considered to be a possible vector of disease.
From May to October the little housefly often comes into buildings and is noticeable here because of its peculiar, silent flight in the middle of the room, with which it circles objects hanging from the ceiling, especially lamps. In doing so, it suddenly changes direction of flight. This is a patrol flight with which the males monitor their territory and attack intruders if necessary. During short breaks and at night, the flies sit on these objects and leave small stains on them. In the open air, it is usually the treetops that the flies use for their swarm dances.
Web links
- Fannia canicularis L. - Small housefly ( Memento from July 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive )