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 industry. From our article you will learn about the features of the structure and life of this insect.
General characteristics of the order Diptera
First, consider the classification of this species. Flies are insects from the order Diptera. All representatives of this systematic unit have only the front pair of membranous wings. The back turned into a h altere. These are small club-shaped formations that provide the balance of the insect during flight. The wings of the fly have thickened anterior veins that move towards the front of the wing. This structural feature is called costalization.
The body of Diptera consists of three parts - the head, chest and abdomen. Each of the six limbs has five segments. At the ends are two claws with suction cups. Thanks to this structure, Diptera are able to move along steep surfaces.
Each of us watched asflies rub their limbs against each other. Why do they do it? The fact is that taste buds are located on the lower part of walking legs. With the help of such movements, insects clean the pads of the limbs from dirt.
Like all Diptera, the fly is an insect with complete metamorphosis. This means that its larvae are significantly different from adults. In the fly, they are white, mobile worms. At the same time, the larvae do not have legs, but move with the help of special formations - hooks. After a few molts, the larva turns into a pupa. 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 order are mosquitoes, tapeworms, hoverflies, gadflies, horseflies.
Exterior structure
A fly is an insect that has a typical structure for representatives of this class of animals. The body consists of three sections - the head, chest and abdomen. Six walking legs are attached to the middle one. The size of a house fly is small - up to a centimeter.
On the head is one pair of antennae, eyes and sucking-type mouthparts. Therefore, the fly is not able to eat solid food. The insect is looking for a liquid that it draws in with the help of a proboscis. The fly liquefies solids. To do this, the insect regurgitates on food. It is in the vomit that digestive enzymes are found that make food suitable for absorption.
Sense Organs
Most of the headflies occupy the 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's why she's so hard to catch.
There is also one pair of antennae on the head. 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, whose way of life we consider in our article, belongs to synanthropic species. This means that its existence is closely connected with man. Flies are especially interested in sewage - garbage cans, containers, decay products, feces. It is these places that are most suitable for laying eggs, as they are rich in nutrients.
For humans, this insect poses a serious danger. The fact is that on the pads of her feet she carries pathogens of many diseases - dysentery, cholera, typhoid fever. The difficulty also lies in the fact that harmful microorganisms are not broken down in the digestive tract, but are released outside in a viable form.
Development Features
A fly is an insect with a full cycle of transformation, 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 duringdays.
The larvae do not look like adult insects at all. They are headless worms. They grow rapidly, feeding on liquefied food. They produce it themselves, releasing digestive juices into food. This digestion is called extraintestinal.
After 4 days, a pupa is formed from the larva. It has a hard shell called the puparia. After a certain time, this structure in the upper part bursts. This allows the adult insect to come out. after three days, the young fly itself lays eggs. The limiting factor for this process is the air temperature. When it drops below 15 degrees Celsius, the breeding process stops.
Variety
In the modern period, taxonomists have about 40 thousand species of flies. The most common among them is home, or room. It is gray in color with a specific kink in the wings. But the bright emerald fly, despite its external attractiveness, is especially dangerous. This species lives exclusively on carrion and sewage.
Not all flies are associated with human life. For example, the hoverfly feeds exclusively on 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. They call her 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 order Diptera. A systematic feature is the presence of h alteres. This structure is a modification of the second pair of wings, providing balance during flight. The average life expectancy of flies is 20 days, and that of mayflies is a day. Most species live near or inside a person's dwelling, eating his food. The negative value of these insects lies in the fact 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.