Muscidae

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 technical terms
Brachycera families
Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille