A

Abdomen:

The posterior body segment of an insect.

Allozyme:

Allozymes are the variant forms of an enzyme.  Using allozymes, scientists can asses species boundaries at the population and species level.

Analogue:

A species with similar characteristics to another that occupies a similar niche, but in a different location or part of the world.

Antenna:

A segmented pair of appendages located on the head between the eyes and above the mouth. They act as sensory organs.

Antennae:

Plural antenna.

Anterior:

The front end, or in front of.

B

Blowfly:

Blowflies are flies belonging to the family Calliphoridae. Carrion-breeding blowflies include the genera Calliphora, Chrysomya and Lucilia.

C

Carrion:

Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Many organisms utilise this source of organic matter as food, or for reproduction.

Chorion:

An insect egg shell.

Compound eye:

The type of eye found in insects. It is made up of numerous photosensitive structures called ommatidia.

Conspecific:

Refering to individuals belonging to the same species.

Cosmopolitan:

A species that can be found almost anywhere in the world.

Coxa:

The basal, or first, segment of the leg (plural coxae).

Coxae:

Plural coxa

D

Diptera:

Diptera is the name of the insect order representing the flies. This order includes familiar insects, such as houseflies, bushflies, blowflies, fleshflies, fruit flies and mosquitoes.

Distal:

The appendage/segment located farthest from the body.

Dorsal:

The upper surface of an organism. The side when viewed from above. The opposite of ventral.

E

Extant:

A taxon that is still living. Opposite to extinct.

F

Facultative:

A species that uses a resource, but does not rely on it for survival. A facultative carrion species does not require carrion to complete its development, but may use it. Facultative is the opposite to an obligate user.

Family:

Family is a taxonomic rank, fitting between order and genus. Families can also be divided into sub-families.

Femora:

Plural femur

Femur:

A robust leg segment located between the trochanter and tibia.

Flesh fly:

Flies belonging to the family Sarcophagidae.

G

Genus:

A taxonomic rank between family and species. Genera can be further divided into sub-genera.

H

Haltere:

A modified wing that is reduced to a club-like structure. Only orders Diptera and Strepsiptera have halteres. In flies, the hind wing has been modified into the haltere, and it is located on the metathorax. It probably stabilises the insect during flight, and enhances steering.

Head:

The anterior body segment of an insect. The head is where the compound eye, antennae and mouth parts are located.

Hybridisation:

Hybridisation refers to the process of interbreeding between two taxonomically distinct groups. Most commonly, this refers to intraspecific hybridisation, where members of the same species, but different sub-species reproduce. Interspecies hybridisation occurs between two different species.

I

Insecta:

The taxonomic class to which insects belong. Insecta is classified within the phylum Arthropoda and sub-phylum Hexapoda.

Instar:

An instar is a juvenile developmental stage of insects. In flies, larvae usually pass through three larval instars before pupation.

Invertebrate:

An invertebrate is an organism without a backbone.

L

Larva:

A larva (plural larvae) is a juvenile form of an insect. Insects, such as flies and beetles undergo metamorphosis when changing from the larva to adult.

Larviposit:

Larviposition occurs when an insect lays live larvae instead of eggs.

Lateral:

Relates to the side view of an animal.

Legs:

Insects have three pairs of legs, which are connected to the thoracic segment of the body.

M

Medial:

Towards the midline.

Mesonotum:

Dorsal portion of the mesothorax.

Mesothorax:

Refers to the middle segment of the thorax, posterior to prothorax and anterior to metathorax. In flies, the mesothorax is extremely large and well developed. In all flying insects, the forewings are attached to the mesothorax.

Metamorphosis:

The process during which insects drastically change their body shape whilst developing from a larva to an adult. In flies, metamorphosis occurs inside the puparium, where the larva transforms into an adult.

Metathorax:

The posterior thoracic segment, to which are attached the third pair of legs and the hindwings (or halteres in Diptera).

Myiasis:

Myiasis is the invasion of living animal tissues by fly larvae. In Australia, this phenomenon is common in sheep and other livestock. Myiasis in sheep is known commonly as sheep strike.

N

Niche:

An ecological unit corresponding to an organisms relative position within an ecosystem.

O

Obligate:

An obligate user requires a certain resource to complete its lifecycle, or to survive. Obligate carrion-breeding flies require carrion as a larval substrate.

Ommatidia:

The compound eyes of insects are composed of photoreceptive units called ommatidia. Ommatidia are hexagonal in shape and contain clusters of photoreceptive cells which are connected to the brain via nerve cells (axons).

Order:

Order is a taxonomic group below phylum and above family. Flies belong to the order Diptera.

Oviparous:

Oviparous organisms lay eggs, and most of the egg's development occurs outside the mother.

Oviposit:

See oviposition.

Oviposition:

Oviposition refers to the action of laying eggs

Ovoviviparity:

The process where larval development occurs inside an egg that is retained within the mother until it is deposited. The larvae therefore hatch almost immediately following laying.

Ovoviviparous:

See ovoviviparity.

P

Parasitoid:

Parasitoids are organisms that spend a significant amount of time of their life history inside their host, and cause the death or sterilisation of the host. Many wasp species (O: Hymenoptera) are parasitoids of fly larvae, whilst many flies are parasitoids of gastropods, such as snails, and annelid worms. 

Population:

A population is a group of organisms belonging to the same species living in the same geographical region.

Post mortem interval:

The post mortem interval (PMI) is the time since death, and the minimum post mortem interval is a term used by forensic entomologists to denote the time since first insect infestation of the body.

Posterior:

Hindmost. Opposite to anterior.

Primary:

A primary coloniser/invader of carrion is an organism that infests fresh carcasses before decomposition has progressed to an advanced state. A primary initiator of myiasis is an organism that initiates myiasis.

Prothorax:

The anterior segment of the thorax. In flies, this segment is greatly reduced.

Proximal:

The part of an appendage closest to the body.

Pupal:

A lifecycle stage of insects with complete metamorphosis. In higher flies, this stage is spent within a puparium.

Puparium:

The hardened/scleritised skin of a third instar larvae that forms the protective casing when the insect is undergoing metamorphosis.

S

Sclerotisation:

The process of hardening the larval or adult cuticle. For example, this occurs to form the puparium during pupariation.

Secondary:

A secondary invader of carrion is an organism that infests a carcass at an advanced stage of decomposition, usually after other species have infested it. Secondary myiasis species are often those that invade living tissue after myiasis has been initiated by a primary species.

Sheep fly:

Sheep flies are those species that will invade the living tissue of sheep, causing myiasis or sheep strike. They pose a significant economic problem in the Australian sheep industry.

Sheep strike:

Refers to myiasis in sheep.

Sister species:

A close relative of a species that may be extremely similar morphologically and behaviourally.

Species:

Species is a taxonomic rank that groups individuals that usually occur in sympatry, and can interbreed. Species exist in populations, and although, populations may differ slightly in their morphology and behaviour, they are still capable of interbreeding. Therefore, a species may be further divided into sub-species.

Spiracles:

The external opening of an insect's breathing system.

Sympatry:

An ecological distribution pattern where two taxa overlap in geographical occurence.

Synanthropic:

The term given to species that cluster preferentially around human settlements.

T

Tarsus:

The tarsus is the terminal segment of an insect leg. Tarsi are usually subdivided into tarsomeres.

Tergite:

The tergites are the dorsal aspects of insect segments other than the head. In flies, the abdomen usually consists of a series of tergites.

Tertiary:

Tertiary invaders of a resource arrive at a carcass after primary and secondary flies. They usually infest a corpse during the dry stage of decomposition.

Thorax:

The middle segment of an insects body. The thorax is further divided into the prothorax, mesothorax and metathorax. Each of these segments consists of a pair of legs. The forewings and hindwings are attached to the mesothorax and metathorax, respectively.

Tibia:

The tibia is a leg segment located between the femur and tarsus.

Trochanter:

The second segment of the leg located between the coxa and femur.

V

Vector:

An organism that can transport an infectious disease or parasite. Flies can potentially act as vectors by transporting pathogenic bacteria on their feet.

Ventral:

The lower surface of an organism. The opposite to dorsal.

Viviparous:

Viviparity occurs when a female retains a dev larva and the mother provides continuous nourishment. This is different from ovoviviparity because the larva is not nourished by egg yolk.

W

Wings:

Insects have two pairs of appendages on their mesothorax and metathorax called wings. In flies, the fore wings have been retained and used for flight, however the hind wings have been greatly modified into club like structures called halteres.