''Musca vetustissima'', commonly known as the Australian bush fly, is a species of fly found in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is the specific fly that has given rise to the expression " Aussie salute".

Description

The Australian bush fly is a dung fly that is closely related to the bazaar fly (''M. sorbens''). The adults are attracted to large

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s for fluid for nourishment and feces for

oviposition The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typica ...

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

. The Australian bush fly can also spread the

pathogen In biology, a pathogen (, "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 theory of d ...

s ''

Salmonella ''Salmonella'' is a genus of bacillus (shape), rod-shaped, (bacillus) Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The two known species of ''Salmonella'' are ''Salmonella enterica'' and ''Salmonella bongori''. ''S. enterica'' ...

'' and ''

Shigella ''Shigella'' is a genus of bacteria that is Gram negative, facultatively anaerobic, non–spore-forming, nonmotile, rod shaped, and is genetically nested within ''Escherichia''. The genus is named after Kiyoshi Shiga, who 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 trimethylated derivative of ammonia. TMA is widely used in industry. At higher concentrations it has an ammonia-like odor, and can cause necrosis of mucous membranes ...

and

indole Indole is an organic compound with the formula . Indole is classified as an aromatic heterocycle. It has a bicyclic structure, consisting of a six-membered benzene ring fused to a five-membered pyrrole ring. Indoles are derivatives of indole ...

, 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, stem cell niche) at the anterior tip, a set of developing Oocyte, oocytes containe ...

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 residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

, 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 Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

. 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 (; : 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 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 (worm ...

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