Musca Domestica Linnaeus Research Articles

Identification and distribution of some medico-veterinary important pathogens in muscid flies in two geographical regions of Türkiye.

Some dipteran flies play an important role in the transmission of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoan and metazoan parasites in humans and other animals. Despite this importance, knowledge of the prevalence and molecular characteristics of some pathogens in flies is limited, and no data are available for Türkiye. In this study, we investigated the possible vector role of muscid fly species for the transmission of Enterocytozoon bieneusi Desportes (Chytridiopsida: Enterocytozoonidae), Encephalitozoon spp., Coxiella burnetii Derrick (Legionellales: Coxiellaceae) and Thelazia spp. using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence analysis. The flies were trapped in different animal-related places and surroundings from two different geographical regions of Türkiye including Central Anatolia and Middle Black Sea. According to the morphological keys, 850 (85%), 141 (14.1%) and 6 (0.6%) of the total of 1000 fly specimens identified as Musca domestica Linnaeus (Diptera: Muscidae), Stomoxys calcitrans Linnaeus (Diptera: Muscidae) and Musca autumnalis De Geer (Diptera: Muscidae), respectively. The other species including Haematobia irritans Linnaeus (Diptera: Muscidae), Muscina stabulans Fallén (Diptera: Muscidae) and Hydrotaea ignava Harris (Diptera: Muscidae) were each represented by a single specimen. Screening of the pathogens identified E. bieneusi only in M. domestica with a prevalence of 2.4%. Sequence analyses identified three known genotypes, Type IV, BEB6 and BEB8, and one novel genotype named AEUEb of E. bieneusi in M. domestica. Coxiella burnetii was detected in M. domestica and S. calcitrans with prevalences of 2.9% and 2.8%, respectively. The one specimen of H. ignava was also positive for C. burnetii. Encephalitozoon spp. and Thelazia spp. were not found in the examined specimens. Our results contribute to the current knowledge on the vector potential of muscid flies and their possible role in the transmission dynamics of certain pathogens, especially in regions where diseases are prevalent and affect public and animal health.

Forensic investigation of carcass decomposition and dipteran fly composition over the summer and winter: a comparative analysis of indoor versus outdoor at a multi-story building.

This study aimed to explore the rate of decomposition of rabbit carcasses and the succession pattern of the associated dipteran flies outdoor, indoor, and on the roof of a 4-story building during the summer and winter. A total of 6,069 flies were recorded, with 30.91% reported as 2 waves outdoor and on the roof in the summer and 69.09% as 4 waves outdoor in the winter. The roof showed the most flies in the summer but the least in the winter, whereas the outdoor showed the most in the winter but the least in the summer. The ground and first floors showed the most indoor flies, while the second and third floors showed the least in both seasons. Indoor carcasses decomposed slower than those outdoor, and those on the second and third floors decomposed slower than those on the ground and first floors. Ten fly species from 8 families were identified in the winter, compared to 6 from 5 families in the summer. The most abundant species was Musca domestica Linnaeus (Muscidae) on the roof in the summer, while it was Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemannn) (Calliphoridae) outdoor in the winter. The rare species (singletons) were Musca sp. (Muscidae) and Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Phoridae) on the first floor in both seasons, Scaptomyza pallida (Zetterstedt) (Drosophilidae) on the ground floor in the summer, and Atherigona orientalis Schiner (Muscidae) outdoor in the winter. These data highlight the variance in carcass decomposition and fly composition across outdoor, indoor, and the roof of human dwellings, which could be of forensic importance.

Long-term impact of rearing substrates on susceptibility to insecticides and metabolic enzyme activities in the house fly Musca domestica.

Musca domestica Linnaeus is a devastating insect pest of medical and veterinary importance with reports of resistance development to commonly used insecticides worldwide. Rearing substrates usually play a crucial role in determining susceptibility to insecticides and control of insect pests. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of five rearing substrates of M. domestica on its susceptibility to different insecticides and activities of metabolic enzymes. After 30 generations of rearing, susceptibility of M. domestica to tested insecticides, viz., malathion, pirimiphos-methyl, alpha-cypermethrin, deltamethrin, methomyl, propoxur, spinetoram, and chlorfenapyr had evident differences. Musca domestica reared on hen liver exhibited reduced susceptibility to all insecticides followed by the strain reared on poultry manure. However, M. domestica reared on milk-based diet showed the highest susceptibility to tested insecticides followed by the strain reared on manures of buffalo and horse. In addition, M. domestica reared on different substrates exhibited significant differences (p < 0.01) in the activities of glutathione S-transferase (GST), cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase, and carboxylesterase (CarE). Overall, hen liver and poultry manure strains exhibited higher activities of metabolic enzymes than those of the milk-based diet, buffalo, and horse manure strains. In conclusion, the data of the present study exhibited a significant effect of rearing substrates on the susceptibility to insecticides and activities of metabolic enzymes in M. domestica. These results could be helpful for the sustainable management of M. domestica on different hosts by selecting appropriate insecticides.

Resistance risk assessment, cross-resistance potential and realized heritability of resistance to methomyl in Musca domestica Linnaeus.

The use of insecticides in agricultural settings often exerts negative effects on nontarget species. Methomyl, a broad-spectrum carbamate insecticide, is recommended to manage a number of insect pests of the cotton crop. Recently, Musca domestica, which is a nontarget insect species in cotton fields, has shown resistance to methomyl in Pakistan. The present study tried to assess resistance-risk assessment, rapidity of resistance development to methomyl, cross-resistance potential to other insecticides, resistance heritability and to forecast the projected rate of resistance development under field conditions. For this purpose, a field strain of M. domestica with 186 fold resistance to methomyl was re-selected in the laboratory for eight consecutive generations. Consequently, LD50 values increased rapidly (126.64 ng/fly to 3112.79 ng/fly) compared to those before selection experiments. Similarly, RR values increased from 186 to 3113 fold as a result of the selection process. However, resistance to methomyl did not remain stable when the selected strain (Meth-SEL) reared for the next five generations in a pesticide free environment. The Meth-SEL strain also developed cross-resistance to permethrin. The realized heritability (h2) value for the Meth-SEL strain was 0.39 with 27% average mortality of M. domestica. Assuming the standard deviation (σp) value 0.27 and the h2 value 0.39 for eight generations of continuous exposure to methomyl, then five, seven, eight, ten and twelve generations at 90, 80, 70, 60 and 50% selection intensity, respectively, would be required for a tenfold increase in the LD50 value of methomyl. In conclusion, the Meth-SEL strain of M. domestica exhibited a high risk of resistance development to methomyl under continuous selection pressure. Resistance increased rapidly during selection experiments that reflect the probability of resistance development under field conditions if M. domestica receive exposures to methomyl during its applications for the management of target pest species.

Control study of Musca domestica (Diptera, Muscidae) in Misan Province.

Houseflies are the most common type of Diptera, specifically Muscidae, worldwide, representing more than 90% of all species. This family has over 170 genera and 4200 species, but a few are of medical significance. This study aimed to estimate and assessing the measures to control and prevent grow-up inside houses and flying of the housefly ( Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758) in Misan. The study occurred over 12 months, from December 2020 to December 2021. Using plastic containers, Musca domestica were collected from all potential breeding sites in the study region (inside and around houses). Sticky oil paper and traps were used to collect the insects. The collected insects were transferred to sealed plastic containers and then to the laboratory of the Department of Microbiology.Out of 200 randomly selected houses, 150 (75%) contained insects. Light traps and sticky oil papers were the most effective control measures, with 26.7% and 25.9% of the Musca domestica collected from these methods, respectively. The ratio of male (233) to female (456) Musca was 1:2, with a significant difference between the frequencies (P<0.05). A large population of houseflies was collected during the hot season (501, 72.7%), whereas fewer Musca were collected during the cold months (188, 27.3%), with a strongly significant difference (P<0.05). The percentage of HI was 54.4%, the CI was 21.9%, and the BI was 79.9%. The overall larval densities (LD) were at a medium level. Misan has a high density of Musca domestica, with females being more prominent than males. Hot climate, humid sites, and dirty places are responsible for the breeding of houseflies. The overall larval density was medium. Therefore, the risk of transmitting infectious diseases by houseflies is high within the boundaries of Misan province, and effective control parameters should include measures like light traps and sticky oil.

Characterization of intrapuparial development of Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae), under different temperatures in laboratory conditions.

Musca domestica (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera: Muscidae), popularly known as "housefly", is a highly synanthropic species, with economic, medical-sanitary, veterinary, and forensic importance. It is able to cause damage to health, transmit pathogenic agents, cause infection in domestic animals, and, in its immature stage, cause secondary myiasis. The scavenging habit of its immature stages makes these flies pioneers in colonizing both human and animal carcasses, from the initial stages of corpse decomposition to the final stages. Intrapuparial development studies of all stages of the biological cycle of these insects help estimate pupal age, being useful to forensic entomology to aid in determining the minimum postmortem interval (minPMI). This study describes, morphologically, the external structures of the pupae, under temperatures of 23, 27, and 30 ± 1 °C aiming to identify the characteristics that define their developmental stages and estimation of the pupae age of M. domestica. The whole experiment was carried out under laboratory conditions, with relative humidity 60 ± 10% and 12 hours of photoperiod. The process of pupariation and pupation including pre-pupae phases were observed; larvae pupae apolysis; early cryptocephalic pupae; late cryptocephalic pupae; phanerocephalic pupae; pharate adult, discriminated by eye color (transparent eyes, pink eyes, and red eyes); and the emergency of adults, which occurred in the intervals of 162-180; 138-144, and 96-102 hr, respectively, being described throughout the metamorphosis of the external morphological characteristics of the pupal stage of M. domestica.

Decomposition and dipteran succession on buried rabbits carcasses

The rabbit carcasses used in this study were buried at depths of 20 and 40 cm, were examined to construct a fly succession database on buried carrion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Twenty-four rabbits were buried, 12 at 20 cm and 12 at 40 cm. One carcass at each depth was exhumed at 10-day intervals up to 120 days. The degradation rate varied among the carcasses. Differences in species and their colonization were also found in the superficial and exhumed carcasses. Eleven species of flies were recorded on carcasses interred at a depth of 20 cm and seven species at 40 cm, while 13 species were recorded on the carcasses over the top of the soil. Species Rhyncomya sp (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Sarcophaga dux Thomson, and Dolichotachina marginella (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) were dominant at both depths, while Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedeman), Chrysomya rufifaces (Macquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Musca domestica Linnaeus, and Musca sorbens Wiedemann (Diptera: Muscidae) were dominant in surface carcasses. Megaselia scalaris (Loew) ((Diptera: Phoridae) is a common and typical forensic indicator that was found in the decay/advanced decay and dry stages at a depth of 20 cm. These findings are possibly useful in forensic investigations involving buried bodies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Bacterial communities and prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes carried within house flies (Diptera: Muscidae) associated with beef and dairy cattle farms.

House flies (Musca domestica Linnaeus) are vectors of human and animal pathogens at livestock operations. Microbial communities in flies are acquired from, and correlate with, their local environment. However, variation among microbial communities carried by flies from farms in different geographical areas is not well understood. We characterized bacterial communities of female house flies collected from beef and dairy farms in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska using 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing and PCR. Bacterial community composition in house flies was affected by farm type and location. While the shared number of taxa between flies from beef or dairy farms was low, those taxa accounted >97% of the total bacterial community abundance. Bacterial species richness was 4% greater in flies collected from beef than in those collected from dairy farms and varied by farm type within states. Several potential pathogenic taxa were highly prevalent, comprising a core bacterial community in house flies from cattle farms. Prevalence of the pathogens Moraxella bovis and Moraxella bovoculi was greater in flies from beef farms relative to those collected on dairy cattle farms. House flies also carried bacteria with multiple tetracycline and florfenicol resistance genes. This study suggests that the house flies are significant reservoirs and disseminators of microbial threats to human and cattle health.

Antibiosis interaction of black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) with house fly (Musca domestica) (Diptera: Muscidae).

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus, 1758)) larvae inhibit oviposition of house fly (Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758) by releasing a semiochemical, although in some situations, inhibition is only partial. We hypothesized that there is a certain period in the life cycle of black soldier fly when it can cause antibiosis of the house fly. Choice and non-choice tests were used to separately examine the effectiveness of each developmental stage of black soldier fly (egg, larval (phase I, II, and III), prepupal and pupal stages) and crude extract of larvae on house fly oviposition. Tests using each developmental stage were compared with controls lacking black soldier fly. The effects of black soldier fly on the number of newly hatched house fly larvae were evaluated and there was a significant difference between the test and control in the number of eggs laid by house fly for all phases of the black soldier fly larval stage. Strong inhibition was found in some black soldier fly larval phases. Significant differences in the numbers of house fly eggs oviposited in food containers treated with crude extract were found when compared with a control, confirming that chemicals from black soldier fly larvae resulted in inhibition of oviposition of house fly. The results from experiment also indicated that chemicals from black soldier larvae influenced the number of house fly larvae newly hatched from eggs.

An efficient method to sample Musca domestica (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera: Muscidae) using coloured pan-traps in a cage poultry facility

When houseflies find optimal conditions to develop, they rapidly increase their population size negatively impacting both humans and animals through nuisance and the transmission of pathogens. Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Muscidae) shows a preference for animal faeces and for this reason it is a serious pest in animal breeding facilities. To prevent proliferation of houseflies and to evaluate the efficiency of the control methods, it is important to routinely monitor the activity of this dipteran in such facilities. There are several types of traps for sampling houseflies in breeding sites, here we used colored pan-traps to evaluate the efficiency of the trap and its color in sampling M. domestica in a cage poultry facility located in the city of Nepomuceno, Minas Gerais, Brazil. To do so, we set up yellow, white, blue and red pan-traps next to the cages of poultries and collected flies once a week for a period of a year. Although the density of M. domestica was high during the entire period of sampling, more flies were collected in white (monthly average of 470.83 flies) than in yellow (327.55), blue (267.14) and red traps (199.63). Hence, we argue that this poultry farm needs to improve its housefly monitoring program and we suggest a continuous use of white pan-traps to monitor the efficiency of the pest control methods implemented in the facility.

Control study of Musca domestica (Diptera, Muscidae) in Misan Province

Background: Houseflies are the most common type of Diptera, specifically Muscidae, worldwide, representing more than 90% of all species. This family has over 170 genera and 4200 species, but a few are of medical significance. This study aimed to estimate and assessing the measures to control and prevent grow-up inside houses and flying of the housefly (Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758) in Misan. Methods: The study occurred over 12 months, from December 2020 to December 2021. Using plastic containers, Musca flies were collected from all potential breeding sites in the study region (inside and around houses). Sticky oil paper and traps were used to collect the insects. The collected insects were transferred to sealed plastic containers and then to the laboratory of the Department of Microbiology. Results: Out of 200 randomly selected houses, 150 (75%) contained insects. Light traps and sticky oil papers were the most effective control measures, with 26.7% and 25.9% of the Musca collected from these methods, respectively. The ratio of male (233) to female (456) Musca was 1:2, with a significant difference between the frequencies (P&lt;0.05). A large population of houseflies was collected during the hot season (501, 72.7%), whereas fewer Musca were collected during the cold months (188, 27.3%), with a strongly significant difference (P&lt;0.05). The percentage of HI was 54.4%, the CI was 21.9%, and the BI was 79.9%. The overall larval densities (LD) were at a medium level. Conclusions: Misan has a high density of Musca houseflies, with females being more prominent than males. Hot climate, humid sites, and dirty places are responsible for the breeding of houseflies. The overall larval density was medium. Therefore, the risk of transmitting infectious diseases by houseflies is high within the boundaries of Misan province, and effective control parameters should include measures like light traps and sticky oil.

Larvicidal and pupicidal effects of some essential oils against Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera:Muscidae)

Essential oils (EOs) from plants can provide an eco-friendly alternatives to traditional synthetic insecticides. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of six different essential oil (Foeniculum vulgare, Cinnamomum verum, Allium sativum, Capsicum annum, Mentha piperita, Urtica dioica) against Musca domestica. Larvicidal and pupicidal, efficacy of six EOs were evaluated by contact toxicity method at four different doses (1%; 2.5%, 5%, and 10%) in 5 replications. The research was performed at 60 ± 1.5% humidity and 27 ± 0.5 0C temperature at the Animal Physiology Laboratory of Ondokuz Mayıs University. The LC50 and LC90 values were determined by probit analysis. The effects of treatment and concentrations on different exposure periods, larval and pupal survival and development time were analyzed by a two-way analysis of variance. The larval toxicity of six EOs increased significantly with increased exposed periods. The larval and pupal mortality percent was also increased as the concentration increased for testing all essential oil. The highest larval mortality percent (100.0%) was observed at the (10%) concentration of six essential oils, and all concentrations of Cinnamomum verum oil. Besides, the lowest larval mortality percent (46%) was caused by the 1% concentration of Foeniculum vulgare. The highest pupicidal effect was shown by 10, 5, 2.5% Cinnamomum verum EOs (100% mortality) and 1% Cinnamomum verum EOs (97.36%). The present study revealed that tested essential oil had significant potential for affecting biological parameters of M. domestica. The Cinnamomum verum EOs can be used as an eco- friendly product for the control of housefly larvae and pupae.

The predatory behavior of Hydrotaea albuquerquei (Lopes) larvae on the larvae of Musca domestica Linnaeus under laboratory conditions

The predatory behavior of Hydrotaea albuquerquei (Lopes) larvae on the larvae of Musca domestica Linnaeus under laboratory conditions

Effect of Diazepam on the Developmental Parameters of Musca domestica

The objective of present study was to investigate the some population dynamics and morphological parameters of Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Muscidae) under the influence of diazepam. For this purpose, larvae of M.domestica were reared on diet with different dose of diazepam. We evaluated the way in which the drug affected the some morphological parameters i.e., pupal, and adult weight, the number of adult and pupae, and ratio of sex rate and developmental durations of M. domestica. This study was carried out at the Entomology Laboratory of Ondokuz Mayıs University in 2021. The findings have shown that diazepam was accelerated larval and pupal development period in this study.The obtained results showed the morphological parameters, i.e., pupal, and adult weight, the number of adult and adult, and development durations were negatively associated with diazepam concentration. Our results showed that arthropod data can aid ecological assessments. Our results showed that arthropod data could be used in ecological assessments.Also, when analyzing entomological evidence for drug- or chemical-related death,.it is important to keep in mind its effects on PMI prediction.

Fauna and Ecology of Dipterous (Díptera, Muscidae) Livestock Biocenoses of Ukraine

The biology and ecology of parasitic insects are closely related to the life of people, and the leading role belongs to animal husbandry. It is difficult to overestimate the negative influence of parasitic dipterans on productive animals, especially during the season of their mass reproduction and distribution. The work aimed to study the species composition of Diptera in different livestock biocenoses in eastern and central Ukraine. Entomological nets and traps were used to capture zoophilic flies, the number of insects was determined using the fly index, and luminescent markers TAT 33 with a powder fraction of 30 microns. The collected insects were identified according to the existing modern identifiers. As a result of the studies, the presence of Musca domestica (Linnaeus, 1758) was determined in all livestock facilities for keeping animals and birds. The largest number of house flies was noted in the facilities for keeping sows with suckling pigs (312.0±35.3) and fattening animals (277.5±6.1). M. domestica, M. autumnalis, and S. calcitrans accounted for 75.57% of the entire complex of zoophilic flies. The species M. vitripennis, M. tempestiva, L. irritans, H. atripalpis also occupied an important place among the species that form the entomoparasitocenosis (18.91%). In pasture biotopes, two species of flies (Ortellia caesarion Meigen and Ortellia cornicina Fabr.) have been identified. They do not attack animals, but are mineralisers of cattle feces. Luminiferous marker L-1 basic green (TAT 33) fixes well on insects and lasts for 5 days. The density of the fly population in the pig houses is 36% higher than in the calf houses. The results obtained are the basis for the development of innovative, scientifically grounded schemes for control and the fight against parasitic insects at livestock enterprises

Resistance status and the rate of resistance development in Musca domestica Linnaeus (Diptera: Muscidae) to permethrin and imidacloprid in Indonesia

A previous report has indicated that in many regions of Indonesia, populations of Musca domestica have shown very high resistance to permethrin and low resistance to imidacloprid. In this study, the resistance status to permethrin and imidacloprid was updated using a topical application and feeding bioassay. Six housefly strains originated from six highly populated cities in Indonesia, namely Serang (SRG), Jakarta (JKT), Bandung (BDG), Semarang (SMG), Yogyakarta (JOG), and Surabaya (SBY). A seventh strain (Danish Pest Infestation Laboratory) served as the control. Each strain was tested for resistance to the two insecticides. The rate of development of resistance to the two insecticides was measured over ten generations. The results indicated that all field strains showed very high resistance to permethrin. The highest resistance level recorded was in the SRG strain (RR50 = 2880), and the lowest was in the JKT strain (RR50 = 520). Repeated application of permethrin over ten generations increased the resistance level by about 2.7–32.73-fold as compared to the level of their respective parental populations. On the other hand, most strains showed low to moderate resistance to imidacloprid, in which the SRG strain had the highest resistance level (RR50 = 15.5) and the SBY strain had the lowest (RR50 = 2.0). Repeated application of imidacloprid over ten generations increased the resistance level by about 3.25–17.41-fold. The findings, which is the second report of housefly resistance in Indonesia since 2016, provide a crucial foundation for developing appropriate housefly integrated pest management strategies in highly populated areas in Indonesia.

Conserved and Divergent Aspects of Plasticity and Sexual Dimorphism in Wing Size and Shape in Three Diptera

The ability of powered flight in insects facilitated their great evolutionary success allowing them to occupy various ecological niches. Beyond this primary task, wings are often involved in various premating behaviors, such as the generation of courtship songs and the initiation of mating in flight. These specific functions imply special adaptations of wing morphology, as well as sex-specific wing morphologies. Although wing morphology has been extensively studied in Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen, 1830), a comprehensive understanding of developmental plasticity and the impact of sex on wing size and shape plasticity is missing for other Diptera. Therefore, we raised flies of the three Diptera species Drosophila melanogaster, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) and Musca domestica (Linnaeus, 1758) at different environmental conditions and applied geometric morphometrics to analyze wing shape. Our data showed extensive interspecific differences in wing shape, as well as a clear sexual wing shape dimorphism in all three species. We revealed an impact of different rearing temperatures on wing shape in all three species, which was mostly explained by plasticity in wing size in D. melanogaster. Rearing densities had significant effects on allometric wing shape in D. melanogaster, while no obvious effects were observed for the other two species. Additionally, we did not find evidence for sex-specific response to different rearing conditions in D. melanogaster and C. capitata, while a male-specific impact of different rearing conditions was observed on non-allometric wing shape in M. domestica. Overall, our data strongly suggests that many aspects of wing morphology underly species-specific adaptations and we discuss potential developmental and functional implications of our results.

Biological responses in Musca domestica to fipronil and chlorfenapyr exposures

Insect populations exist under acute and chronic exposures to lethal and sublethal insecticide concentrations. Among the sublethal effects of insecticides on insects are reductions in life span, development rates, population growth, fertility, fecundity, changes in sex ratio, deformities, changes in behaviour, feeding, searching, and oviposition. These effects may differ depending on the modes of action of insecticides, their doses, and developmental stage of application. This study evaluated the life-history parameters in Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera:Muscidae) strains that were exposed to two insecticides (fipronil and chlorfenapyr) with different modes of action at sublethal concentrations in each generation up to tenth. Two approaches to each insecticide’s exposure were used in this study, particularly in one approach, only adults M. domestica were exposed to fipronil or chlorfenapyr and in another approach, only larvae were exposed to each insecticide. The susceptibility of adult flies to these insecticides was assessed by resistance ratio based on results of non-choice feeding bioassays. Fipronil exposure at the sublethal concentration in each generation did not affect the susceptibility of adult M. domestica (in the tenth generation) to fipronil. The resistance ratio values revealed tolerance to chlorfenapyr in adults of M. domestica strains that were exposed to this insecticide, independent of the approach used to insecticide exposure. Most of the life-history parameters (such as durations of separate developmental stages, the emergence duration, the adult emergence ratio, the female ratio, and the number of eggs per female per day) of the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth generations of the insecticide-exposed strains were similar to those of the control strain. At the same time, the sublethal effects of both insecticides fipronil and chlorfenapyr prolonged the larval duration (1.63–2.22 times) and the number of days from egg to adult (1.18–1.39 times) compared to the control strain. Further studies are needed to investigate a possible genetic variability in M. domestica in response to exposure of parental generation to sublethal doses of fipronil and chlorfenapyr.

Short Communication: Bacillus endolithicus and Bacillus paramycoides: New isolates from housefly Musca domestica in Saudi Arabia

Abstract. El-Ghwas DE, Al-Nasser AS, Al-Sheikhy AA. 2021. Short Communication: Bacillus endolithicus and Bacillus paramycoides: New Isolates from housefly Musca domestica in Saudi Arabia. Biodiversitas 22: 4209-4214. Housefly Musca domestica Linnaeus is a common insect widely distributed all over the world. It is one of the domestic insects found associated with humans and animals. The present study investigated the bacterial diversity associated with Musca domestica samples collected from different places such as food courts and trash cans near fast-food restaurants in Makkah Province from October 2019 to December 2019. Eighteen pure isolates of bacterial strains were isolated and identified by Gram staining. Most of the bacterial isolates were Gram-positive except for two species, which were Gram-negative. The VITEK system was used to identify randomly isolate no. 5, 7, 17, 18, and 29. The results revealed that they belonged to the genus Bacillus sp., Staphylococcus sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Micrococcus sp. respectively. Due to the most isolated strains were Bacillus sp., so 16S RNA was used to genetically identify novel isolated strains 5 and 7. Isolate no. 5 showed the highest similarity (99 %) with Bacillus endolithicus, and isolate no. 7 showed the highest similarity (99 %) with Bacillus paramycoides. This is the first record of Bacillus endolithicus and Bacillus paramycoides to be isolated from the house fly Musca domestica L.

Ecology of zoophilic flies in livestock biocenoses of Ukraine

In modern animal husbandry of Ukraine, there are still some unresolved issues related to the high number of zoophilic flies in the territories of facilities and the spread of animal infectious and parasitic diseases. A detailed study of bioecological peculiarities of the dominant zoophilic fly species contributes to improving the effectiveness of measures to control ectoparasites. 27 zoophilic fly species have been found in animal breeding complexes. The maximum number of parasitic Diptera species was recorded on cattle-keeping premises. The biological properties of Neomyia cornicina (Fabricius, 1781) (size, shape, colour, duration of preimaginal phase development) were studied. Also, we studied the dynamics of the number and daily activity of dominant fly species (Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758, M. autumnalis De Geer, 1776, Stomoxys calcitrans (Linnaeus, 1758)). When studying the intraspecies competition, a high-degree survival of M. domestica and M. autumnalis was determined in the conditions of critical nutritional deficiency (0.5 g of nutrient medium per larva) and increased density of individuals (the imago emergence was 38.6% and 34.0%, respectively). In similar maintenance conditions, the emergence of N. cornicina imago was low (14.6%). With a two-fold increase in the insectarium volume and in the amount of nutrient medium (1 g per larva), the imago emergence of M. domestica, M. autumnalis and N. cornicina increased to 64.0%, 39.2%, and 24.0%, respectively. With an even greater increase in the amount of nutrient medium (2 g per larva), the maximum emergence of imagoes of all the studied fly species was observed (M. domestica, M. autumnalis, and N. cornicina: 96.6%, 91.2% and 72.6%, respectively). In the conditions of interspecific competition, M. autumnalis suppressed N. cornicina even in conditions of a sufficient amount of nutrient substrate. In the competition between M. domestica and M. autumnalis, house fly dominated. Increasing the nutrient medium volume narrowed the gap between the competing species.