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Muscina stabulans

Taxonomy

Family: Muscidae

Subfamily: Muscinae

Genus: Muscina Robineau-Desvoidy 1830

Species: stabulans (Fallén 1817)

 

The egg, first- and second-instar larvae and the puparium were described by Liu & Greenberg (1989). The third-instar larva was described by Ishijima (1967) and Liu and Greenberg (1989).

Biology

Adult Muscina stabulans are common in areas where decaying organic matter is present. They are also common inhabitants of houses. Larvae feed on a variety of decaying matter, including fungi, fruit, excrement and carrion (Smith, 1986). The species has been involved in cases of human myiasis (Zumpt, 1965). Illingworth (1927) found the species to be attracted to a cat carcass in California, however did not rear any larvae. The failure of the adults to emerge was probably due to the presence of predatory beetles, which may have consumed all the pupae. In Spain, the species is readily attracted to chicken carcasses (Arnaldos et al., 2004. Benecke (1998) collected pupae of the species on human remains, and Nuorteva (1974) reared the larvae from a blood-stained shirt.

Distribution

Muscina stabulans probably occurs throughout all Australian states and territories.

Relevant Literature

Arnaldos, M.I., Romera, E., Presa, J.J., Luna, A. and Garcia, M.D. (2004) Studies on seasonal arthropod succession on carrion in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula. International Journal of Legal Medicine 118,197-205.

Benecke, M. (1998) Six forensic entomology cases: description and commentary. Journal of Forensic Sciences 43, 797-805.

Illingworth, J.F. (1927) Insects attracted to carrion in southern California. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 6 397-401.

Ishijima, H. (1967) Revision of the third stage larvae of synanthropic flies of Japan (Diptera: Anthomyiidae, Muscidae, Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae). Japanese Journal of Sanitary Zoology 18, 47-100.

Liu, D. and Greenberg, B. (1989) Immature stages of some flies of forensic importance. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 80-93.

Nuorteva, P. (1974) Age determination of blood stains in a decaying shirt by entomological means. Forensic Sciences 3, 89-94.

Smith, K.G.V. (1986) A manual of forensic entomology, Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Press.

Zumpt, F. (1965) Myiasis in man and animals in the Old World. A textbook for physicians, veterinarians and zoologists, London, Butterworth and Co.