''Macrocheles muscaedomesticae'' is a species of mite in the family

Macrochelidae Macrochelidae is a family of mites in the order Mesostigmata. Description Adult females of Macrochelidae have: an undivided dorsal shield bearing at least 28 pairs of setae, a sternal shield with three pairs of setae, a genital shield with one ...

. It has a

cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...

. This mite species feeds on

flies Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

in their egg, larval and (possibly) adult stages, and also attaches to adult flies for dispersal (

phoresis Phoresis or phoresy is a non-permanent, commensalistic interaction in which one organism (a phoront or phoretic) attaches itself to another (the host) solely for the purpose of travel. Phoresis has been observed directly in ticks and mites s ...

). Its hosts include

houseflies The housefly (''Musca domestica'') is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha. It is believed to have evolved in the Cenozoic Era, possibly in the Middle East, and has spread all over the world as a commensal of humans. It is the most common f ...

(''Musca domestica''), drosophilid flies (''Drosophila hydei'') and stable flies (''Stomoxys calcitrans'').

References

muscaedomesticae Articles created by Qbugbot Animals described in 1772 Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli {{mesostigmata-stub