Stomoxys calcitrans
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''Stomoxys calcitrans'' is commonly called the stable fly, barn fly, biting house fly, dog fly, or power mower fly. Unlike most members of the family Muscidae, ''Stomoxys calcitrans'' ('sharp mouth' + 'kicking') and others of its genus suck blood from mammals. Now found worldwide, the species is considered to be of Eurasian origin.


Physical features

The stable fly resembles the common housefly (''
Musca domestica 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 fly ...
''), though smaller, and on closer examination has a slightly wider and spotted abdomen. Adults are generally about in length and a lighter color than the housefly. Unlike the housefly, where the mouth part is adapted for sponging, the stable fly mouth parts have biting structures.


Habitat

As its name suggests, the stable fly is abundant in and around where cattle are kept. Its maggots are often seen in the rotting manure near cattle and poultry.


Biology

The earliest and one of the most comprehensive accounts of stable fly biology was presented by F. Bishop in 1913. The adults of both sexes feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals during the daytime. For egg production, the female requires its abdomen to be engorged with blood. The female takes approximately 2–5 minutes to engorge, after which it becomes sluggish for a while. The eggs are laid among putrefying organic materials such as hay, manure, and wood. Males usually die after mating and the females after laying eggs. The life cycle has a duration of about two weeks at temperatures around . The duration is highly dependent on temperature and nutrient quality available for the larvae. Bishop (1913) noted that the larvae can endure for more than 30 days in less nutritious environs.


Economic importance

Cattle heavily infested with stable flies have been noted to become
anemic Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, th ...
and milking cows have been observed to show lower milk production. The stable fly bites humans at rest in the outdoors. In many parts of the world, the species is a carrier of trypanosomid parasites. Some of the reported parasites and diseases for which the stable fly might be a vector include ''
Trypanosoma evansi ''Trypanosoma evansi'' is a parasitic species of excavate trypanosome in the genus ''Trypanosoma'' that causes one form of surra in animals. Discovered by Griffith Evans in 1880 at Dera Ismail Khan (British India), it is the first known tryp ...
'' (the agent of
Surra Surra (from the Marathi ''sūra'', meaning the sound of heavy breathing through nostrils, of imitative origin) is a disease of vertebrate animals. The disease is caused by protozoan trypanosomes, specifically ''Trypanosoma evansi'', of severa ...
), '' Trypanosoma brucei'', brucellosis, equine infectious anemia, African horse sickness (AHS), and fowlpox. ''S. calcitrans'' is also reported to be a vector of ''
Bacillus anthracis ''Bacillus anthracis'' is a gram-positive and rod-shaped bacterium that causes anthrax, a deadly disease to livestock and, occasionally, to humans. It is the only permanent ( obligate) pathogen within the genus ''Bacillus''. Its infection is a ...
'', the causative agent of
anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...
. Stomoxys calcitrans-sucking blood.jpg, Sucking human blood


References


External links


University of Michigan
{{Taxonbar, from=Q598609 Muscidae Veterinary entomology Diptera of Europe Flies described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus