Muscina stabulans Fallén, 1817

Dawah, Hassan A., Abdullah, Mohammed A. & Deeming, John C., 2020, The Muscidae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia, descriptions of two new species, new records and updated list of species, Zootaxa 4869 (1), pp. 1-54 : 16

Muscina stabulans Fallén, 1817 ( Fig.16 )

Musca stabulans Fall é n, 1817 : 252.

Specimens examined. 1m, 1f, Asir, Abha, Hay Al-Nusub ( Abha Farm Centre), 1–25.v.2013, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( CERS) ; 1m, same data but 3.iv.2001 ( CERS) ; 4m, same data but 3.iii.–1.vi.2001 ( NMWC; CERS) ; 2m, Asir, Maraba, Al-Hudaithy Fruit Farm , 3–24.xii.2013, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( CERS; NMWC) .

Distribution. This species was previously recorded from Saudi Arabia by Büttiker (1979). It was described from Sweden. Pont (1991) found Al-Houty’s (1989) identification of Musca sorbens from Kuwait to be M. stabulans . In the Middle East it was recorded from Turkey ( Pont et al. 2005)

Biological remarks. Skidmore (1985) gave a comprehensive account of the biology of M. stabulans . It is a highly polyphagous species reared from a wide range of media. The overwintered females lay about 150– 200 eggs in batches of about 8–10 in spring time in temperate regions ( Sèguy 1923). The larvae prey heavily on those of M. domestica , killing far more than they consume ( Hewitt 1914) and may drastically reduce house fly populations ( Silverly & Schoof 1955) but they also devour many other insect larvae. Therefore it is a beneficial species to man, since it is an important controller of M. domestica . It has been reared from living plants (radishes, cabbages etc.) and animals (including nestlings, sheep and humans). The larvae can produce serious ulceration on the living tissue of chordates. In temperate regions contamination of human food by M. stabulans is most likely to occur where it is openly exposed to direct sunlight, and wounds similarly exposed may lead to traumatic myiasis. The flies are intolerant of shade and seldom enter buildings, they select well lit habitats. A few natural enemies attack M. stabulans (e.g., the fly fungus Entomophthora muscae (Cohen) Fresen , some predators (e.g., the mite Araetus muscarum (L.)) and a few hymenoptera parasitoids attack its larvae. For further biological information see Greenberg (1971) and Skidmore (1985).

Figures

FIGURE. 14–17. Muscidae species habitus: Male; 14) Pyrellina garmsi Zielke, 1971, Female; 15) Muscina prolapse (Harris, 1780), Male; 16) Muscina stabulans (Fallén, 1817), Male; 17) Passeromyia heterochaeta (Villeneuve, 1915), Female.