House Fly - The Australian Museum

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Fast Facts

• Classification Genus Musca Species domestica Subfamily Muscinae Family Muscidae Super Family Muscoidea Order Diptera Class Insecta Subphylum Uniramia Phylum Arthopoda Kingdom Animalia
• Size Range 5 mm - 8 mm

Introduction

The House Fly is found all over the world, wherever there are human populations. Not only is it a nuisance, but it also carries disease-causing organisms, which it picks up from garbage and sewage.

Distribution

The House Fly is found throughout Australia and much of the rest of the world.

Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia

Life history cycle

Adult House Flies usually live only 15 to 25 days but may live longer in cooler climates. They lay many hundreds of eggs and their larvae (maggots) develop in organic material.

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Also in this section

• White-stemmed Gum Moth
• Lenophila achilles McAlpine & Kim, 1977
• Dragonflies and damselflies - Order Odonata
• Purple-winged Mantid
• Stingless Bee
• Lacewings and Antlions: Order Neuroptera
• Wombat Flies
• Lesser Grain Borer
• Termessa diplographa Turner, 1899
• Potter wasps
• Three-punctured Diving Beetle
• Illawarra Raspy Cricket

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The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.

Image credit: gadigal yilimung (shield) made by Uncle Charles Chicka Madden

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