housefly, common name of the fly fly, name commonly used for any of a variety of winged insects , but properly restricted to members of the order Diptera, the true flies, which includes the housefly , gnat , midge , mosquito , and tsetse fly .
..... Click the link for more information. Musca domestica, found in most parts of the world. The housefly, a scavenger, does not bite living animals but is dangerous because it carries bacteria and protozoans that cause many serious diseases, e.g., typhoid fever typhoid fever acute, generalized infection caused by Salmonella typhi. The main sources of infection are contaminated water or milk and, especially in urban communities, food handlers who are carriers.
..... Click the link for more information. , cholera cholera (kŏl`ərə) or Asiatic cholera, acute infectious disease caused by strains of the bacterium
..... Click the link for more information. , and dysentery dysentery (dĭs`əntĕr'ē)
..... Click the link for more information. . The housefly feeds by depositing a drop of digestive liquid on its food, which may be garbage, excrement, or other filth. Although most of the liquid drop is sucked back again through the insect's tubelike lower lip, or labium, a residue remains that may contain disease-causing organisms from previous meals. Disease is also transmitted on the fly's sticky foot pads and hairy body. Each female lays from 100 to 200 eggs in the garbage or manure on which the white larvae feed. With favorable temperatures, one generation or more per month may be produced. Metamorphosis metamorphosis (mĕt'əmôr`fəsĭs) [Gr.
..... Click the link for more information. is complete, i.e., development is in four stages. The housefly is classified in the phylum Arthropoda Arthropoda (ärthrŏp`ədə) [Gr.,=jointed feet], largest and most diverse animal phylum.
..... Click the link for more information. , class Insecta, order Diptera, family Muscidae. For methods of control see bulletins of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
Common dipteran (Musca domestica), accounting for about 90% of all flies in human dwellings. The adult is dull gray with dirty-yellowish areas on the abdomen. Body size ranges from 0.2 to 0.3 in. (5–7 mm), and the conspicuous compound eyes have some 4,000 facets. Because it has sponging or lapping mouthparts, it cannot bite. It is a problem wherever decomposing organic waste and garbage are allowed to accumulate. Its feet may carry millions of microorganisms, some of which cause diseases, including cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. Some insecticides are effective, but houseflies have developed resistance to others.
housefly
housefly [′hau̇s‚flī]
..... Click the link for more information. Musca domestica, found in most parts of the world. The housefly, a scavenger, does not bite living animals but is dangerous because it carries bacteria and protozoans that cause many serious diseases, e.g., typhoid fever typhoid fever acute, generalized infection caused by Salmonella typhi. The main sources of infection are contaminated water or milk and, especially in urban communities, food handlers who are carriers.
..... Click the link for more information. , cholera cholera (kŏl`ərə) or Asiatic cholera, acute infectious disease caused by strains of the bacterium
..... Click the link for more information. , and dysentery dysentery (dĭs`əntĕr'ē)
..... Click the link for more information. . The housefly feeds by depositing a drop of digestive liquid on its food, which may be garbage, excrement, or other filth. Although most of the liquid drop is sucked back again through the insect's tubelike lower lip, or labium, a residue remains that may contain disease-causing organisms from previous meals. Disease is also transmitted on the fly's sticky foot pads and hairy body. Each female lays from 100 to 200 eggs in the garbage or manure on which the white larvae feed. With favorable temperatures, one generation or more per month may be produced. Metamorphosis metamorphosis (mĕt'əmôr`fəsĭs) [Gr.
..... Click the link for more information. is complete, i.e., development is in four stages. The housefly is classified in the phylum Arthropoda Arthropoda (ärthrŏp`ədə) [Gr.,=jointed feet], largest and most diverse animal phylum.
..... Click the link for more information. , class Insecta, order Diptera, family Muscidae. For methods of control see bulletins of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
housefly
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Housefly (Musca domestica) on a doughnut
(credit: Avril Ramage—© Oxford Scientific Films Ltd.)
housefly
a common dipterous fly, Musca domestica, that frequents human habitations, spreads disease, and lays its eggs in carrion, decaying vegetables, etc.: family Muscidae
housefly [′hau̇s‚flī]
(invertebrate zoology)
Musca domestica.A dipteran insect with lapping mouthparts commonly found near human habitations; a vector in the transmission of many disease pathogens.
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