Flies Flashcards
what does the term diptera refer to
insects with 2 wings
give examples of brachycera both their common and family names
- house fly, head fly, stable fly, horn fly = muscidae
- horseflies and deer flies = tabanidae
- keds and forest flies = hippoboscidae
- tsetse flies = glossinidae
- bot and warble fly = oestridae
- flesh flies = sarcophagidae
- blow flies = calliphoridae
give examples of nematocera both their common names and family names
- mosquito = culicidae
- black flies = simulidae
- biting midges = ceratopogonidae
- sand flies = psychodidae
name direct and indirect effects of the veterinary importance of flies
direct:
- bites and allergies
- bot flies
- myiasis causing flies
indirect:
- transmission of infections
describe culicidae
- Mosquitoes
- 2-10 mm
- slender with long legs
- adult females have long proboscis
- crepuscular/nocturnal
- transmit plasmodium, dirofilaria and various viruses (west nile etc)
describe psychodidae
- 3-5 mm
- hairy, moth like with long legs
- hop rather than fly
- hides in cracks and emerge to feed at night
- transmit leishmania
describe the mosquito lifecycle
- adult male and female mate
- female needs blood meal for egg production
- oviposition, eggs laid most time slightly above water level
- when covered with water eggs emerge from eggs
- have 4 larval stages
- pupate
- adult emerges from pupa
where do blackflies like to lay their eggs
edges of fast flowing water
explain the lifecycle of biting midges
- adult males and females emerge in late spring - early summer
- males and females feed on nectar until mating. mating kills male
- female feeds on blood and develops eggs
- eggs are laid in mass of 25-150 eggs on moist surfaces or in water. they hatch in 2-7 days
- eggs hatch and larvae emerge. 2 types of larvae: caterpillary like and worm like. they typically develope in moist or wet habitats
- 4 larval stages last from 2 weeks to a year
- pupal stage completed in 2-3 days
- adult emerges and continues cycle
where do tabanidae flies like to lay their eggs
stems of plants
why are hippoboscidae obligate ectoparasites
- both males and females feed on blood
- dont have wings or have wings but cant fly very far
what are the 2 types of obligate bots (they have to infest tissues)
- bot flies (oestridae)
- flesh flies (sarcophagidae)
describe the bot fly lifecycle
- adult flies mate then females lay eggs on hair of horses
- eggs contain first-stage larvae
- eggs hatch and larvae enter the horse’s mouth
- first stage larvae migrate through the tissues of the mouth
- second stage larvae develope
- third stage larvae attach to the mucosa of the stomach
- bot larvae release hold and pass out in feces
- pupae in soil
- adult emerges
describe the process of myiasis
- adult flies are attracted to a moist wound, skin lesion or soiled hair where they feed and lay eggs
- unless the process is halted, the infestated animal may die from shock, histolysis or secondary infection as the larva feed on the necrotic flesh and cause knock on inflammatory effects causing continued necrosis
what are the primary agents of fly strike in the UK
- common green bottle
- black blow fly
- blue bottle fly
