The Fanniidae are a small (285 species in five genera) group of true
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 m ...
largely confined to the Holarctic and temperate Neotropical
realms
A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire.
Et ...
; there are 11 Afrotropical species, 29 Oriental, and 14 Australasian.
Adults are medium-sized to small and usually have mainly dark body and leg colours. Males congregate in characteristic dancing swarms beneath trees; females are more retiring in habit.
Larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
...
e are characterised by their flattened bodies with striking lateral protuberances, and live as scavengers in various kinds of decaying organic matter.
The lesser housefly '' Fannia canicularis'' is a worldwide
synanthropic
A synanthrope (from the Greek σύν ''syn'', "together with" + ἄνθρωπος ''anthropos'', "man") is a member of a species of wild animal or plant that lives near, and benefits from, an association with human beings and the somewhat artific ...
species.
Fanniidae are indicators useful in
forensic entomology
Forensic entomology is the scientific study of the colonization of a dead body by arthropods. This includes the study of insect types commonly associated with cadavers, their respective life cycles, their ecological presences in a given environme ...
.
Identifying characteristics
The Fanniidae were once a subfamily of
Muscidae
Muscidae are a family of flies found in the superfamily Muscoidea.
Muscidae, some of which are commonly known as house flies or stable flies due to their synanthropy, are worldwide in distribution and contain almost 4,000 described species i ...
from which they may be distinguished by:
*A (strictly) dorsal bristle is on the hind tibia below the middle and in addition to the dorsal preapical.
*The axillary vein is strongly curved towards the wingtip, so if extended, the axillary and anal veins would meet before reaching the wing tip.
*In males, the middle tibia has an erect pubescence beneath; in females, the frontalia is without crossed bristles, the frontal orbits are broad, and convex towards median line of
frons
Insect morphology is the study and description of the physical form of insects. The terminology used to describe insects is similar to that used for other arthropods due to their shared evolutionary history. Three physical features separate insec ...
, and two pairs of strong upper orbital bristles are present, with the anterior pair turned outwards.
Notes
References
Identification
References to identify the family include:
*Chillcott, J.G. 1961. "A revision of the Nearctic species of Fanniinae (Diptera: Muscidae)". ''Can. Entomol. Suppl''. 14, 295 p. Keys to Nearctic genera and species. Excellent figures.
*
Willi Hennig
Emil Hans Willi Hennig (20 April 1913 – 5 November 1976) was a German biologist and zoologist who is considered the founder of phylogenetic systematics, otherwise known as cladistics. In 1945 as a prisoner of war, Hennig began work on his the ...
''Muscidae'' in
Erwin Lindner
Erwin Lindner (7 April 1888 – 30 November 1988) was a German entomologist mainly interested in Diptera.
He was born in Böglins, Memmingen and died in Stuttgart, aged 100 years.
In 1913 Erwin Lindner joined the