The Fanniidae are a small (285 species in five genera) group of true
flies
Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...
largely confined to the Holarctic and temperate Neotropical
realms; 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 (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...
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 ancient Greek σύν ''sýn'' "together, with" and ἄνθρωπος ''ánthrōpos'' "man") is an organism that evolved to live near humans and benefit from human settlements and their environmental modifications (see also ...
species.
Fanniidae are indicators useful in
forensic entomology
Forensic entomology is a branch of applied entomology that uses insects and other arthropods as a basis for legal evidence. Insects may be found on cadavers or elsewhere around crime scenes in the interest of forensic science. Forensic entom ...
.
Identifying characteristics
The Fanniidae were once a subfamily of
Muscidae 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, 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 th ...
''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, at age 100 years.
In 1913, Erwin Lindner joined the State Museum of Natural His ...
: ''Die Fliegen der Paläarktischen Region'',7 (63b) 1–1110. Out of date, but good keys and figures.
*Lyneborg, L. 1970. "Taxonomy of European ''Fannia'' larvae (Diptera, Fanniidae)". ''Stuttg. Beitr. Naturkd''. 215, 28 p.
*Rozkosny, R.; Gregor, F.; Pont, A.C. 1997. "The European Fanniidae (Diptera)". ''Acta Sci. Nat. Brno''. 80p. Keys to all 82 known European species (males, females and larvae).
External links
Family description and imagePictureThe Types of Fanniidae and Muscidae (Diptera) in the Museum für Naturkunde, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
Species lists
West Palaearctic including RussiaJapan
{{Authority control
Brachycera families
Taxa named by Charles Henry Tyler Townsend