Do you know interesting facts about the fly? Do not be surprised, this insect is known not only as a carrier of dangerous diseases. Flies are used in surgery, space research, and even in industry. From our article you will learn about the features of the structure and vital activity of this insect.
General characteristics of the Diptera squad
To begin, consider the classification of this type. Flies are insects from the Diptera squad. All representatives of this systematic unit have only the anterior pair of membranous wings. The back has turned into a ground beetle. These are small club-shaped formations that ensure the balance of the insect during flight. The wings of the fly have thickened anterior veins, shifting to the front of the wing. This structural feature is called costalization.
The body of the Diptera consists of three parts - the head, chest and abdomen. Each of the six limbs consists of five segments. At the ends are two claws with suction cups. Due to this structure, dipterans are able to move on steep surfaces.
Each of us watched the flies rub their limbs against each other. Why are they doing that? The fact is that on the lower part of the walking legs are taste buds. With the help of such movements, insects clean the pads of extremities from dirt.
Like all representatives of Diptera, a fly is an insect with complete transformation. This means that its larvae are significantly different from adults. In a fly, they are white moving worms. At the same time, the larvae do not have legs, but move with the help of special formations - hooks. After a few links, the larva turns into a chrysalis. At this stage, an almost complete restructuring of the body occurs. As a result, the adult insect acquires new structural features compared to the larva. In addition to flies, representatives of the Diptera squad are mosquitoes, tapeworms, gulls, gadflies, horseflies.
External structure
A fly is an insect that has a typical structure for members of this class of animals. The body consists of three sections - the head, chest and abdomen. Six walking legs are attached to the middle. The size of a housefly is small - up to a centimeter.
On the head there is one pair of antennae, eyes and a sucking-type mouth apparatus. Therefore, the fly is not able to eat solid food. The insect is looking for a liquid that it draws with the help of a proboscis. Solids fly dilutes. To do this, the insect burps for food. Vomit contains digestive enzymes that make food suitable for absorption.
Sensory organs
Most of the fly’s head is occupied by eyes. Each of them consists of a large number of segments - facets. For example, a housefly has about four thousand of them. Therefore, the vision of these insects is called mosaic. Thanks to this structure, the fly instantly catches any movement. That is why it is so difficult to catch.
On the head is also one pair of antennae. With the help of these organs, the fly is oriented in space, determines the direction of movement, distinguishes smells even at a distance of about 500 meters.
Habitat
The fly, the lifestyle of which we consider in our article, refers to synanthropic species. This means that its existence is closely related to man. Particularly interested in sewage flies - garbage cans, containers, rotting products, feces. It is these places that are most suitable for laying eggs, as they are rich in nutrients.
For humans, this insect is a serious danger. The fact is that on the pillows of her legs she carries the causative agents of many diseases - dysentery, cholera, typhoid fever. The difficulty also lies in the fact that harmful microorganisms do not break down in the digestive tract, but stand out in a viable form.
Development features
A fly is an insect with a complete transformation cycle, which takes place in four phases. One adult lays up to 150 eggs. Such clutches are repeated after a few days, so the total number of eggs can reach 600 pieces. They develop during the day.
Larvae are not at all like adult insects. These are headless worms. They grow rapidly, eating liquefied foods. They produce it themselves, releasing digestive juices in food. Such digestion is called extraintestinal.
After 4 days, a pupa forms from the larva. It has a hard shell called puparia. After a certain time, this structure in the upper part bursts. This allows an adult insect to go outside. three days later, the young fly lays eggs itself. The limiting factor of this process is air temperature. When it drops below 15 degrees Celsius, the reproduction process stops.
Diversity
In the modern period of taxonomy, there are about 40 thousand species of flies. The most common among them is home, or indoor. It is gray in color with a specific kink of wings. But the bright emerald fly, despite the external attractiveness, is especially dangerous. This species lives exclusively on carrion and sewage.
Not all flies are associated with human life. For example, the creeper eats exclusively nectar. Outwardly, it is very similar to a wasp with transparent wings. But the fly, the description of which we will present now, is not at all a harmless creature. She is called Tsetse. This African species is a carrier of parasitic unicellular organisms called trypanosomes. They cause sleeping sickness, which is characterized by fever, weakness and unconsciousness.
So, a fly is an insect that is a representative of the Diptera squad. A systematic feature is the presence of ground beetles. This structure is a modification of the second pair of wings, provides balance during flight. The average life expectancy of flies is 20 days, and the mayfly is a day. Most species live near or inside a person’s home, eating their food. The negative value of these insects is that they are carriers of dangerous diseases of humans and animals. Therefore, the fight against flies and the prevention of their contact with food is an important condition for hygiene.