Horse fly
| Horse fly | ||||||||||||
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Horse fly ( Hippobosca equina ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hippobosca equina | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
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The horse flies ( Hippobosca equina ) is a fly from the family of the louse flies (Hippoboscidae), which as an ectoparasite parasitizes mainly on large mammals .
features
The brown, light brown striped horse fly reaches a body length of 6 to 8.5 millimeters. The insect has fully developed wings that are held flat over the back at rest and - unlike many louse flies - remain on the body for life. The green complex eyes are well developed and help locate the host animal. The feet, which are provided with fine sensory bristles, have strong claws with which the fly can hold onto the fur of the host animal.
Occurrence and way of life
The horse fly is common in Europe and parts of Asia and Africa. Here it occurs in the places where its host animals occur. As an ectoparasite , it lives on various odd-toed ungulates such as horses , but also on cattle and occasionally on dogs , deer and camels , on whose blood it feeds. People are also flown to and sometimes stung.
Life cycle
If the fly has flown to a host , it clings to its fur. This is also where the mating of the females and males takes place, accompanied by flight games by the partners. Due to its fully developed wings, it can change host at any time, unlike other louse flies. The two ovaries only release one egg at a time. After fertilization, the zygotes continue to develop in the uterus, an enlarged part of the fallopian tube. The larva moults twice here and is deposited on the ground shortly before pupation ( viviparia ). With only about five laid larvae, the horse fly is a definite K-strategist . In the fall of the pupae in the soil escape new imagines and seek new host animals.
literature
- Werner Jacobs and Maximilian Renner: Biology and ecology of insects. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-437-20352-5 . P. 300f. Hippoboscidae.
- CR Turner and DJ Mann: Recent Observations on Hippobosca equina L. (Dipter: Hippoboscidae) in South Devon . British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 18 (1), pp. 37-40. British Entomological and Natural History Society, London 2005. ISSN 0952-7583 .
- AM Hutson: Diptera - Keds, flat-flies and bat-flies (Hippoboscidae and Nycteribiidae) . Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. 10 pt 7. Royal Entomological Society of London, 1984. pp. 84ff.
Web links
- Hippobosca equina at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved November 15, 2015