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Muscidae: Muscinae - US/Canada (in development)

Authors: Even Dankowicz and Zachary Dankowicz

Last updated: Feb 2022

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Help identify observations on iNaturalist!

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?taxon_id=622795&place_id=1

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?taxon_id=622795&place_id=6712

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Muscinae of the United States, Canada

  • Muscini
    • Eudasyphora
    • Mesembrina
    • Morellia
    • Musca
    • Neomyia cornicina
  • Stomoxyini
    • Haematobia irritans
    • Haematobosca alcis
    • Stomoxys calcitrans
  • Stomoxyini have a stout blood-sucking proboscis, Muscini do not.

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Eudasyphora

  • Blue or blue-green metallic
  • 3 typically short, wider tomentose stripes on anterior scutum
  • Mesotibia with strong posteroventral spine at 2/3 of length

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Widespread

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See species-level diagnostics at BugGuide

MD, © Katja Schultz, iNaturalist / CC BY

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Mesembrina

  • With 3 short tomentose stripes on far anterior scutum
  • Orange wing bases, jet black body

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Yellow body hair, distinctively yellow posterior abdomen

No yellow body hair, predominantly blacks

M. latreillei, AK, © Matt Bowser, iNaturalist / CC BY

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Morellia

  • Black, not metallic
  • Narrow central stripe extends posterior of transverse suture
  • Mesotibia without strong posteroventral spine at 2/3 of length

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Male mesotibia

Male metatarsus

M. podagrica

Northern

Basally narrow, but thickened quickly, with only a few erect hairs

Without distinct hairs as below

M. micans

Widespread

Apically thickened, concave posterior, with outer row of dense hairs

Dorsal hairs twice as long as segment thickness

M. podagrica, VT, © Tom Murray, BugGuide / CC BY-ND-NC

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Musca

  • 4 black and 5 grey tomentose scutum stripes (often flipped due to optical effects when photographed from the front with strong flash)
  • Along with Neomyia, unique in Nearctic Muscidae by having a sharply bent M1+2 vein

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Widespread

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Tomentose stripes

Male eye separation

Female parafrontals

Female abdomen

M. domestica

Extensive in both sexes

Eyes well-separated

Narrow, somewhat yellowish

Almost always with orange

M. autumnalis

Very diffuse in males, more extensive in females

Eyes nearly touching

Wider, entirely whiteish

Entirely gray-black

M. autumnalis, NB, © Even Dankowicz / CC BY-NC

Sharply bent M1+2

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M. autumnalis

M. domestica

Female frons comparison

© Michael Knapp, iNaturalist / CC BY

© Aaron Harmer, iNaturalist / CC BY-NC

Thick, rectangular parafrontal stripes

Narrowing parafrontal stripes

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M. domestica

M. autumnalis

Male frons comparison

Even Dankowicz iNaturalist / CC BY-NC

Even Dankowicz iNaturalist / CC BY-NC

At least moderately thick black stripe down male frons

Very narrowed black stripe down male frons

This is as narrow as M. domestica male frons ever gets

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Neomyia cornicina

  • Shiny metallic green
  • Could be confused with Lucilia, see table below

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widespread

CO, © Even Dankowicz / CC BY-NC

Lucilia

Neomyia cornicina

Frontal tomentum extends nearly to vertex; white postgenae

Frontal tomentum absent from upper frons; green postgenae

Lateral margin behind eyes tomentose

Lateral margin behind eyes green metallic

Male eye separation variable

Male eyes separated widely, as in image

2-3 acrostichal bristle rows

1 acrostichal bristle row

M1+2 with sharp corner

M1+2 with gentle corner

r-m concave basally

r-m very straight

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Haematobia irritans

  • Thorax with 2 indistinct dark stripes
  • Abdomen without distinct marks
  • Palpi nearly as long as proboscis

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widespread

FL, © judygva, iNaturalist / CC BY-NC

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Haematobosca alcis

  • Thorax with dark stripes
  • Abdomen without distinct marks
  • Palpi nearly as long as proboscis

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Found throughout range of moose in North America (Canada, Alaska, and northern lower USA)

© Marko Mutanen, University of Oulu, BoldSystems / CC-BY-NC

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Stomoxys calcitrans

This species can be recognized by the following combination of characteristics:

  • Proboscis always visible, short, black, and thin
  • Four black stripes on the thorax, center grey stripe wider than the lateral ones, which are also darker

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To confirm:

  • Vein M1+2 gently bent at about a 160° angle, not sharply bent as in Musca
  • Abdomen with spots, usually distinct

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Widespread. The only Stomoxys species recorded outside of Africa (S. Africa to Egypt), Yemen, and Tropical Asia (India, Sri Lanka, to China, Taiwan, Philippines, and Indonesia).

Four black stripes on scutum

© Even Dankowicz, iNaturalist / CC-BY

Spots on abdomen

Proboscis evident, short

M1+2 gently bent

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Hawaiian species

  • Haematobia irritans
  • Stomoxys calcitrans
  • Neomyia cornicina
  • Musca domestica, M. autumnalis, M. sorbens
    • M. sorbens differs from others by having scutum with 3 grey tomentose stripes separate by 2 black stripes; eyes well-separated

M. sorbens, HI, © Steve Wells, iNaturalist / CC BY-NC

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References

Sources for this entire project include:

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References

Other sources consulted for this specific document include:

  • Nihei, de Carvalho, 2007. Phylogeny and classification of Muscini (Diptera, Muscidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 149: 493-532.
  • Sabrosky, 1959. Recognition of species of Musca. Cooperative Economic Insect Report. 9(45).
  • Aldrich, 1926. Occurrence of Morellia podagrica Lw in North America (Dip: Muscidae). Entomological News. 37:119-120.
  • Cumming, Diptera Associated with Livestock Dung: Identification Table for Major Filth Fly Pests. http://www.nadsdiptera.org/FFP/filtable.htm
  • Hardy, 1981. Diptera: Cyclorrhapha IV, series Schizophora, section Calyptratae. Insects Hawaii 14.
  • Australasian-Oceanian Catalog

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Special thanks to the work of John F. Carr, Brad Barnd, Ben Coulter with this group on BugGuide.net.

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