''Musca vetustissima'', commonly known as the Australian bush fly, is a species of fly found in Australia. It is the specific fly that has given rise to the expression " Aussie salute".

Description

The Australian bush fly is a

dung fly The Scathophagidae are a small family (biology), family of Muscoidea which are often known as dung flies, although this misnomer, name is not appropriate except for a few species of the genus ''Scathophaga'' which do indeed pass their larval sta ...

that is closely related to the bazaar fly (''M. sorbens''). The adults are attracted to large mammals for fluid for nourishment and feces for oviposition. A study showed that there is a low survival rate for eggs and larvae of this species in cattle feces because of infrequent rainfall. The study also showed that parasites and predators have caused a low survival rate. According to a study, the Australian bush fly can spread harmful

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometr ...

. The Australian bush fly can also spread the

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...

s '' Salmonella'' and ''

Shigella ''Shigella'' is a genus of bacteria that is Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, non-spore-forming, nonmotile, rod-shaped, and genetically closely related to '' E. coli''. The genus is named after Kiyoshi Shiga, who first discovered it in 1 ...

''. Most of the bacterial populations per fly occurred in a farm environment, while an urban environment was the lowest. A standard composition that contains small amounts of

trimethylamine Trimethylamine (TMA) is an organic compound with the formula N(CH3)3. It is a colorless, hygroscopic, and flammable tertiary amine. It is a gas at room temperature but is usually sold as a 40% solution in water. (It is also sold in pressurized ...

and

indole Indole is an aromatic heterocyclic organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other c ...

, blended with large amounts of

ammonium sulfate Ammonium sulfate (American English and international scientific usage; ammonium sulphate in British English); (NH4)2SO4, is an inorganic salt with a number of commercial uses. The most common use is as a soil fertilizer. It contains 21% nitrogen a ...

and anchovy meal, attracts the Australian bush fly. A wind-oriented trap has been used to catch this species. The number of

ovariole An ovariole is a tubular component of the insect ovary, and the basic unit of egg production. Each ovariole is composed of a germarium (the germline stem cell niche) at the anterior tip, a set of developing oocytes contained within follicles, a ...

s in females probably have to do with how big they are. If females do not obtain enough dietary

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

, the maturation of their eggs will stop. This fly likes to crawl on human faces, as well as on the faces of

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animal ...

. It also likes to crawl on human and livestock feces, though it seems that it prefers human feces.

Life cycle

The Australian bush fly breeds in large numbers in dung pads.

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 have been found in the feces of large mammals. The species continually breeds in subtropical Australia, and

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

s help repopulate Australia each spring. In a study, a mixture of

levamisole Levamisole, sold under the brand name Ergamisol among others, is a medication used to treat parasitic worm infections, specifically ascariasis and hookworm infections. It is taken by mouth. Side effects may include abdominal pain, vomiting, ...

and

oxfendazole Oxfendazole is a broad spectrum benzimidazole anthelmintic. Its main use is for protecting livestock against roundworm, strongyles and pinworms. Oxfendazole is the sulfoxide metabolite of fenbendazole. Oxfendazole is an anthelmintic (wormer ...

killed larvae in sheep feces.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3328282 Muscidae Insects of Australia Insects described in 1849 Diptera of Australasia

Description

Life cycle

See also

References