Phaonia pallida

Phaonia pallida, the muscid fly or orange muscid fly, is a species of fly in the family Muscidae.[1]

Phaonia pallida
Phaonia pallida. Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
P. pallida
Binomial name
Phaonia pallida
(Fabricius, 1787)
Synonyms
  • Musca pallida Fabricius, 1787
  • Aricia dorsalis Schnabl, 1888
  • Rohrella dorsalis Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830
  • Rohrella fragili s Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830

Distribution and habitat

This species is distributed across parts the Palearctic realm – Europe (including Sicily and the Azores), Russia, and Asia (Israel, Turkey, and Iran).[2][3] These flies mainly inhabit deciduous forests and woodland, especially spruce forest edge.[4][5]

Description

Male

Phaonia pallida can reach a length of about 5.5–7.9 millimetres (0.22–0.31 in). These flies have an orange body with a very hairy thorax.[4][5] The antennae are composed by three articles and bear a feathery arista. The legs and the balancers are yellow, while the tarsi are black. The eyes are dark red, separated by a yellow marking in the females, while in males they are very close to each other.[6]

Biology

Adults fly from May to September, feeding on nectar of flowers (especially of Heracleum sphondylium).[4][5][6] Its larvae have been found growing in various fungi (Amanita rubescens, Clitocybe nebularis, Paralepista flaccida, Xerula radicata, Hymenopellis radicata, Amanita muscaria) [6] but also in rotten wood and under tree bark.[5][7] The last larval instar of Phaonia pallida is carnivorous, feeding on small insects.[5][8]

Bibliography

  • Chandler, Peter J. (2010). A Dipterist's Handbook (2nd Edition). The Amateur Entomologist. 15. Orpington, Kent, England: Amateur Entomologists' Society. pp. 525pp
  • D'Assis Fonseca, E.C.M (1968). Diptera Cyclorrhapha Calyptrata: Muscidae. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. 10. London.: Royal Entomological Society of London. pp. 118pp.
  • Gregor, F.; Rozkosny, R.; Bartak, M.; Vanhara, J. (2002). The Muscidae (Diptera) of Central Europe. Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Masarykianae Brunensis. 107. Masaryk.: Masaryk University. pp. 280pp.

References

  1. BioLib
  2. Catalogue of life
  3. Fauna europaea
  4. Nature Spot
  5. J.K. Lindsey Commanster
  6. Un monde dans mon jardin
  7. Chandler, Peter J. (2010). A Dipterist's Handbook. The Amateur Entomologist. 15 (2nd ed.). Orpington, Kent, England: Amateur Entomologists' Society. pp. 525pp.
  8. Jan Sevck Diptera (excluding Mycetophilidae S. str.) associated with fungi in Czech and Slovak Republics: a survey of rearing records from 1998-2000


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.