Varieties of flies with photos and descriptions. Types and varieties of flies: their main characteristics and properties Is a fly an insect or not

Drosophila fly.

fly species- people divided a huge number of flies of various colors into groups according to their habitat, according to the types of food they consume, according to their beneficial or harmful qualities for humans.

housefly

The housefly is a synatropic insect, that is, it has connected its life with a human dwelling without becoming a domesticated pet. On the contrary, a person is set up very militantly towards an uninvited fellow traveler. But a person cannot completely get rid of a housefly, although, unlike cockroaches, the fly leads a daytime lifestyle.

Like all flies, it has huge faceted dark red eyes and two pairs of wings. The second pair called "halteres" helps to maintain balance in very intricate flight paths. The fly has a "coat" of long sparse hairs.

She loves a comfortable temperature and at plus twenty-five degrees Celsius she can live twenty days if she manages not to get under a fly swatter. Flies are fertile. In winter they hibernate.

Houseflies are not able to bite through human skin, therefore they do not feed on blood, but eat up after a person, and they thin solid food with their saliva before eating

Drosophila fly

The Drosophila fly turned out to be much more convenient for scientific research on the behavior of Pavlov's dog. Today, this fly is one of the living organisms, the most studied by man. The development of the chromosome theory of heredity, the genetics of sex is due to this particular fly. Its short life cycle, the small size of the insect, and the ease of reproduction have made the fly a model object for genetic research.

In the wild, Drosophila fly larvae develop in vegetables, fruits, for which they are also called fruit flies. Sometimes they choose fungi or decaying remains of plants, microorganisms for development. Adults feed on plant sap, decaying fruits and vegetables.

Meat fly

Blowflies get their name from their choice as a breeding ground for carcasses. Depending on the color of their back, they are gray, green, blue.

gray blowflies

Gray blowflies are similar in appearance to common houseflies, but larger in size, although not always. If the housefly has four black stripes on its back, then the gray blowfly has black spots in the form of stripes or checkers. The eyes, as a rule, like those of houseflies, are bright red.

The name itself speaks of the inclinations of flies. They come in two colors: green and blue with a metallic sheen.

Unlike gray blowflies, carrion flies lay white eggs, looking for suitable carrion for them. The eggs hatch into smooth and hairy larvae. Hairy larvae are active predators, with appetite they eat smooth larvae that are born earlier. After about three weeks, the eggs will turn into adults, having gone through three molts at the stage of larvae and then pupate.

fly

iris flower girl

hoverfly

With their yellow-black coloration, short-haired hoverflies resemble wasps, thus disguising themselves from their enemies. In fact, they are peaceful insects, they can fly quickly and hang in one place for a long time. They need nectar and pollen from flowering plants to grow. But the larvae of the hoverfly fly feed on aphids - a malicious pest of gardens and orchards. Knowledgeable gardeners attract hover flies to their territory, planting nectar-bearing plants such as carrots, dill, parsley for them to "feed" the flies.

flower fly

For example, recently gardeners have been annoyed by the "iris flower girl" fly. She lays her eggs in a nascent flower bud. For their development, the larvae feed on the bud, sucking the juices out of it. As a result, the bud dies.

Onion flower girl or onion fly strikes with its voracious larvae onions, garlic, tulip bulbs, leeks.

Flies appeared on the planet more than 250 million years ago. During this time, paleo-flies managed to develop into more than 400 thousand species and adapt to any conditions of existence. This two-winged insect today cannot be found only beyond the Arctic Circle and in Antarctica. Flies occupied everything possible for living organisms. Some feed on the nectar of flowers, others on blood, others on decaying organic matter, and the fourth is fine. Some earlier steppe and forest fly species quickly “realized” what benefits the development of civilization promises them and moved closer to human habitation. It is worth moving a couple of kilometers from the last dwelling, and these synanthropic flies cease to annoy. They are replaced by the remaining "wild" species.

Fly classification

Flies still cannot be systematized, offering various ways of dividing these insects into orders, genera, families, and so on. But a simple inhabitant of the planet is of little interest in such methods of classification as the shape of the seam along which the chrysalis bursts, or the length of the mustache of a fly. But the food addictions of flies excite everyone, since the comfort of human existence depends on it. And the division of Diptera according to the food factor is quite clear and does not cause confusion.

By the nature of the nutrition of adults, flies are:

• nectarophages;
• afagi;
• hematophagous;
• coprophages;
• necrophages;
• polyphages.

The second part of these words comes from the Greek phagos - "devouring" and indicates the type of food that each of the groups eats.

The food of nectarophages is the nectar of flowers, adult aphages do not eat at all, hematophages drink blood, coprophages eat excrement, necrophages eat dead flesh, and polyphages have a very extensive food base. A striking example of a polyphage is a house fly.

On a note!

Among coprophages and hematophages, there are two types of flies: obligate and facultative. In the former, larvae and adults feed on the same food. In the second variety, the food bases of larvae and adults are different.

coprophages

Obligate, among others, include some species of the family of true flies that live in pastures. These insects contribute to the breakdown of excrement in nature and are difficult to classify as pests or dangerous flies. But sometimes they fly into houses, spreading eggs of worms. In addition, these types of flies often settle in rooms where animals are kept.

Facultative flies are much more dangerous, since adult flies feed on excrement, but also willingly consume human food. Often these species come to eat directly from the dunghill. The food of the larvae is excrement.

On a note!

The most typical and common representative of facultative coprophages is. This is one of the most common species of flies in Russia, so adapted to life in human homes that it is almost never found in nature.

Appearance of a house fly

In the photo of the brownie fly with macro magnification, you can clearly see all the details of the color. But when viewed with the naked eye, the fly looks gray.

It is a small insect with an average length of 7 mm. The color of house flies is gray with four longitudinal black stripes on the chest. The belly is yellowish on the underside. The eyes are large, dark red. faceted. The male differs from the female in the distance between the eyes: in females, the length of the organ of vision is equal to the distance between them; in the male, the eyes are spaced 2/3 of the length.

Nutrition

The housefly is an insect that cannot bite through human skin, although the female needs protein food to reproduce. This type of fly feeds only on liquid food. When finding solid pieces of organic matter, the housefly dissolves them in saliva before use.

In this way, she can "bite" a person. Trying to dissolve the skin with saliva, the fly causes a sharp pain. Acid burns would have caused similar sensations in us. But there are no marks left on the body.

Hematophagous

Flies that bite are obligate hematophagous. This species feeds on blood in the adult stage. The larvae develop in decaying organic matter. Obligate hematophages include: horseflies, autumn stallion and tsetse, which are often called killer flies.

Interesting!

The largest flies are called horseflies because of their bloodlust. The female, trying to drink blood and lay eggs, does not feel danger, does not notice anything around and often dies from the tail of an animal or a human hand.

In horseflies, females differ from males in that a person usually does not even see the latter. Horsefly males feed on nectar and do not attack mammals.

Some species of horseflies have green eyes, which is why they are often confused with others with green eyes - aphagous gadflies.

All obligate hematophagous have mouthparts adapted to extracting blood.

Facultative hematophages are not able to independently extract blood from the victim's body. They feed on secretions from the skin and mucous membranes. Willingly drink the blood protruding from fresh wounds. In addition to secretions, they feed on the excrement of mammals and plant juices. The larvae develop in excrement.

A typical representative of a facultative hematophagus is the bazaar fly, which is very similar to the housefly, but lives only in the southern regions. Distributed throughout Central Asia and the Caucasus. In Russia, it lives in the subtropical zone.

Necrophages

The names of fly species can often be misleading. Such a species as a "garbage fly" does not exist in nature. Under this name, Lucilia, which belongs to the group of necrophages, is most often hidden. On the dumps themselves, you can find any synanthropic species, including Drosophila. The group of necrophages of the most famous flies includes:

• lucilia (green);
• gray meat;

They all feed on animal carcasses, but also include food waste, vegetable juices, and excrement in their diet.

Interesting!

Necrophages are easy to distinguish from other Diptera: they are all red-eyed flies. Some eyes may be blood red () or brick (green).

Lucilia

Very common and well-known, capable of laying eggs on meat left unattended for a couple of minutes.

It is not uncommon to lay eggs in open wounds, where the larvae begin to develop by eating rotting flesh. The main habitat of these Diptera near human habitation is slaughterhouses. But also larvae can develop in animal excrement. The development of the larva from the egg takes 1-2 days.

blue meat

Medium sized insect. Distributed across all continents. Like the green, it prefers slaughterhouses and decaying meat.

gray meat

One of the most dangerous carrion flies. Outwardly, it is similar to an ordinary room, but larger and with clearly visible bright red eyes on the head. The species is viviparous. The female only needs to touch the meat with her belly to lay the larva. When going outside, the larva immediately begins to bite into the meat. The place of introduction of the larva can be determined by the appearance of liquid from decaying meat.

Nectarophages

This group includes the ilnitsa fly - an insect similar to a bee, but with two yellow spots on the upper side of the abdomen. Sometimes these spots have a reddish tint.

Ilnitsa bee-eater can harm a person only if its eggs enter the gastrointestinal tract. Considering that the larvae of the silt worm develop in pits with sewage, the probability of the eggs ending up in fresh food is very small.

Afagi

On a note!

The eggs of the gadfly, depending on the species, are either stuck to the fur of the animal, or laid on the grass, or injected into the nose and eyes. The hatched larva itself makes its way under the skin or into the intestines.

speckwings

This is a family of flies with spotted wings. Most of them are small, only a few mm long. Some species can reach 2 cm. They are harmless to humans, but cause serious damage to crops.

Among the motley flies is the Mediterranean fruit fly with a red belly, which is exotic for a Russian. Due to the size (up to 5 mm) and color similar in color, the details of which are difficult to distinguish without a microscope, this fly is easy to confuse with.

The Mediterranean fly is not among the Russian pests, but it can be brought along with citrus fruits, the main food for its larvae.

• Sensitive trunk. The proboscis of the insect also contains highly sensitive analyzers of the composition of chemicals in foods. At the end of the proboscis there is a special pad called the labellum. It is very closely associated with the receptor endings on the legs. When a positive signal is received from the receptors, the proboscis of the fly is pulled forward, and it begins to consume food.

• Organs of smell. Flies have excellently developed olfactory organs: they react as quickly as possible to the presence of even a very small smell emanating from a source located at a long distance. It is thanks to their highly sensitive sense of smell that insects are able to be at the same moment near fresh feces or a pile of garbage.

The most common types

• Small housefly - this species and variety of flies has dimensions reaching up to seven and a half millimeters. The body and legs of the insect are dark in color and covered with stiff hairs. At the tips of the paws there are small claws and pads that secrete a special sticky liquid that allows insects to move on any surface. The salivary glands of flies secrete enzymes that liquefy organic structures of any level of hardness. House flies prefer to eat human food, as well as rotting food debris. At a room temperature favorable for reproduction, the female lays up to one hundred and fifty eggs at a time. The most acceptable places for flies to do this are decaying organic residues, garbage and feces. A day later, larvae hatch from the eggs, which pupate after one to two weeks. A new offspring of flies appears in about a month, going through the entire development process. The average life expectancy of insects is no more than a month.

• House fly - differs from a simple room fly only in size: they are slightly larger. House fly larvae begin their life cycle in the same way as house fly larvae: in organic waste and feces. After some time, having become much stronger, they begin to feed on the larvae of other insects, becoming predators.

• Autumn Zhigalka - this insect looks very much like a housefly, but, unlike it, has a long and thin proboscis with teeth. Autumn Stingers are blood-sucking insects. They drink blood by rubbing their proboscis against the skin of the victim, thereby scraping off the epidermis. It is important to note that the saliva secreted by her contains a large amount of toxic substances that cause severe irritation and pain.

• Drop flies. Their family includes at least nine hundred species, and their representatives are found throughout Russia, even in the northern regions. They have a color of bright green or bright blue tones with a silvery sheen. They lay their eggs in human feces, animal carcasses, and decaying refuse. Subsequently, their larvae develop in the same place. This type of fly is the main carrier of infectious diseases.

Prevention and necessary measures in order to protect your home from flies

First of all, you need to keep your city apartment clean, as well as your summer cottage and its backyard. If possible, plant a few walnut trees in the garden, as harmful insects such as flies and mosquitoes do not tolerate this smell very well. You can also plant a castor bean tree or put a pot with this plant on the window, currant bushes, bird cherry, or put a bouquet of tansy near the compost pit or other place where garbage is stored.

The area of ​​the site, which is adjacent to the place of waste disposal, needs regular treatment and disinfection with special substances (for example, a solution of chlorinated lime). In addition, flies can hardly tolerate the smell of vinegar - this is another simple solution for the preventive control of these insects. It is recommended to lubricate window frames with a solution mixed with vinegar as often as possible.

In addition to the smell of vinegar, flies also cannot stand the smell of turpentine mastic, which is used to wipe floors. An even simpler solution would be frequent ventilation of the premises in order to avoid any unpleasant odors inside a country house or apartment. To prevent the appearance of flies, it is necessary to carry out regular cleaning of cesspools from the accumulation of rotting garbage, in which flies usually lay their eggs. This procedure is recommended to be carried out at least twice a month.

Flies are familiar insects that attack people's homes from early spring to late autumn. All types of flies are associated in humans with dirt and various diseases. There are approximately 75 thousand varieties of these insects, each of which has its own characteristics.

Short description

Flies belong to the Diptera order. Unlike other insects, they have only one pair of membranous wings. The movable head is quite large, and the oral apparatus is a special proboscis. The task of the hind wings is to adjust the balance.

The special skeleton of these pests and strong muscles allow them to develop high speed in flight and stay in the air for quite a long time. In addition to natural flies, synanthropic flies that exist next to humans are considered widespread. Among them, the most famous are, for example, real flies, blue, green and gray meat flies and hoverflies.

Features of house flies

These pests are prominent representatives of synanthropic insects - those whose life is connected with human habitation. People constantly struggle with this kind of flies. There are many fairly effective means for this, but getting rid of insects once and for all is not yet possible. Unlike bedbugs and cockroaches, flies are exclusively diurnal.

Like all varieties of flies, these insects, except for two pairs of wings, have large compound eyes of a dark red color.

What are blow flies

These insects got their name due to the fact that they breed on the corpses of animals. According to the color of the back, gray, green and blue blowflies are distinguished. The appearance of gray pests resembles ordinary house flies. Adult females do not lay eggs. They immediately hatch larvae, having previously selected a suitable place for them, which may be the decaying body of an animal, fruit rot or manure.

Green (carrion) flies are distinguished by their beautiful appearance, despite the fact that they are not indifferent to carrion and various sewage. They feed on decaying organic matter, where the females lay eggs - up to 200 pieces at a time. The resulting larvae leave the carrion and hide in the soil to pupate. This stage lasts 1-2 weeks. After this time, an adult fly is selected to the surface.

What are hover flies

However, not all flies are pests. Hoverfly flies are very reminiscent of wasps - both in appearance and behavior. In the summer, they can most often be seen near Compositae or umbrella plants. The body of the insect is covered with black and yellow stripes, and large dark brown eyes are located on the semicircular head. The diet of adults is flower nectar.

Hoverfly larvae can develop in different places - wood, water or an anthill. But a favorite place for them will be the territory where aphids have accumulated - after all, it is the larvae that like to eat. They can also eat spider mites and eggs of other insects.

The female lays approximately 100-180 eggs at a time, so 2-4 generations of these insects can develop during the season.

Hoverfly flies are beneficial insects because they destroy aphids, which cause irreparable damage to the trees in the garden.

Some gardeners are trying to create all the conditions for this species of flies to breed in their areas. To do this, they specially plant umbrella plants, such as carrots, dill or parsley.

How to protect yourself from harmful insects

The main rule that must be followed in order to protect the territory from a large accumulation of flies is perfect cleanliness. You can also use the following preventive measures:

1. Plant a walnut tree in the yard, as flies cannot stand its smell.
2. Well repels flies castor bean, currant and bird cherry.
3. In multi-storey buildings, regular disinfection of areas that are in close proximity to the garbage chute is required.
4. Since flies do not like the smell of vinegar, it is advisable to lubricate windows and doors in rooms with a solution.
5. Floors previously treated with turpentine mastic are well repelled by flies.
6. It is advisable to ventilate the room as often as possible.

Fly larvae in pit latrines or makeshift latrines can be killed with disinfectants, which should be poured into them several times a month.

Fly: Video

The fly (Musca) got its name from the Old Slavic word “mus”, meaning “gray”. Diptera belongs to the phylum Arthropoda, class Insects, order Diptera.

Fly - description and characteristics

The body length of a fly can be from a few millimeters to 2 cm. The insect has a pair of membranous wings, a rather large head, endowed with a mouth organ - a proboscis, designed to absorb liquid food. The body of the fly consists of three parts: the head, abdomen and chest, ending in three pairs of legs. Each leg of a fly is divided into five segments. One part is a foot, with two sharp claws and sticky pads. This feature allows the fly to move briskly along the ceiling and any vertical surfaces.

The fly's eyes are a unique organ. Thanks to several thousand hexagonal facets, the fly has a circular field of view, so its huge eyes can easily simultaneously see everything that happens to the side and even behind. The olfactory organ is the antennae, capable of recognizing odors at a great distance.

Types of flies, names and photos

There are 3,650 species of fly worldwide, some of which are particularly common:

• room(house) fly

gray insect, native to the Asian steppes. It is distributed everywhere, most often near human habitation. Outwardly, many species are similar to the house fly, but it is distinguished by a special break at the edge of the wings. Under favorable conditions, the insect can live up to 2 months;

• hoverfly (syrphid)

similar in appearance and habits to. The insect is distinguished by a black and yellow striped body and transparent wings. The hoverfly feeds on the nectar of flowering plants, it is absolutely harmless. The name of the fly was due to the murmuring sound made by the wings when hovering;

• green(carrion) fly

An insect with a shiny emerald body that lives near sewage and carrion. In order not to be eaten after mating, the male fly brings some food to the female;

• common silt (tenacious) or bee silt

considered a subspecies of hover flies. A large insect, up to 1.5 cm long, with a dark body covered with hairy pubescence. The larvae of the bee elnitsa that have entered the human body can cause serious intestinal disorders;

• ktyr

a large predatory fly that poses a danger to midges, as well as flies of this kind. Killing various dangerous insects with a sharp sting and poison, ktyri flies bring significant benefits to mankind;

• tsetse fly

inhabitant of the African continent. The main source of nutrition for this dangerous predator is the blood of wild mammals, as well as livestock and people. Tsetse flies are carriers of trypanosomes, which provoke an incurable disease that destroys the immune and nervous systems and leads to death.

Tsetse fly. Alan R Walker, CC BY-SA 3.0

Where do flies live?

Flies live on all continents except Antarctica, near animal burrows and human dwellings. This heat-loving insect does not tolerate sub-zero temperatures: already at +8, the laid eggs of flies die.

What do flies eat?

Flies are omnivorous insects and can eat any organic food. The solid food of the fly is pre-soaked with saliva. Sweet liquids and foods are especially preferred. Some types of flies are true "gourmets" and eat only onions or. Pyophilids (cheese flies) breed only inside the head of cheese.

fly breeding

With the exception of some viviparous species, most flies lay eggs. Males lure females with a soft buzz. 2-3 days after mating, the female fly is ready to lay eggs in any food or organic waste.

One clutch contains approximately 150 eggs. During its existence, the female fly is able to lay up to 3 thousand eggs. A day later, fly larvae, maggots appear.

This stage of development lasts about a week, during this period the larva increases in size up to 800 times.

The larval stage passes into pupation and continues for another week. An adult fly, which does not change its size throughout its life, is born 12-14 days after laying eggs.

The first 2-3 days, until the wings are strong, the insect can only crawl. The average lifespan of a fly is 3 weeks.