Fannia canicularis

SPECIES: Fannia canicularis ( order Diptera )

COMMON NAME: Lesser house fly

SIZE: adults have a 12 mm wingspan. The legs are black. The chest is grey and has three dark longitudinal bands. The abdomen is grey, and oval in shape; that of the male is narrow and has yellow patches. At the base of the abdomen is a large yellow spot. The larva is light brown in colour and has an oval shape with protrusions resembling small whips that cover the extremities of the body to help it slither into semiliquid substrates like sewage, excreta and other decaying substances.

LIFECYCLE: Eggs hatch after 24 hours. The larvae reach maturity in 3 to 60 days, while the pupae require 3 to 28 days. The larvae feed on all kinds of decaying organic matter, including carrion.

FEATURES: very similar in appearance to M. domestica, differing slightly in size (it's smaller), and in its habits. The Lesser house fly appears in spring, before the housefly, and it is mostly the males that enter homes to fly nonstop, zig-zagging, or often in a circle, in the middle of the room or in shaded halls.

HABITAT: The small housefly lays eggs on decaying plants and animal droppings.

DIET: it can move freely, so it seeks out any food substance and, thanks to the special suction-based structure of its mouthparts, the insect absorbs liquid and semi-liquid foods. In the presence of solid food, feeding involves regurgitation of droplets of saliva onto the food.

DAMAGE: contamination of everything that this fly comes into contact with. The main diseases that can be transmitted by these insects are salmonella, typhoid, dysentery and conjunctivitis. It is clear that on any premises, any kind of waste and surplus food, if left uncovered, constitutes a source of sustenance for the pest.

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