Muscidae
Definition
A large family including house flies (Musca domestica) and stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans). Non-metallic, typically dull grey or brown. Secondary or later colonisers at most outdoor scenes.
- Common examples
- House flies (Musca domestica), stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans)
- Appearance
- Non-metallic, dull grey or brown
- Role in decomposition
- Secondary coloniser, arrives in second and third waves
Common questions
What are Muscidae flies and where do I encounter them in forensic cases?+
Muscidae is a large family of flies that includes house flies (Musca domestica) and stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans). They are secondary or later colonisers at outdoor decomposition scenes, arriving in the second and third waves as a body bloats and decays.
How can I identify Muscidae flies at a death scene?+
Unlike metallic blow flies, Muscidae are non-metallic and typically dull grey or brown in color. House flies (Musca domestica) are the standard example of this family.
Why do Muscidae arrive after blow flies in decomposition?+
Muscidae are secondary colonisers that arrive later as the body changes. They show up in the second and third waves of insect activity, after the initial colonization by blow flies and flesh flies.
Related terms
- Calliphoridae
- The blowfly family: metallic-coloured flies that are typically the earliest colonisers of exposed remains. Forensically important genera include Calliphora, Lucilia, Chrysomya, and...
- Sarcophagidae
- The flesh fly family. Grey or black with longitudinal thoracic stripes and a chequered abdomen. Larviparous (deposit live larvae), so colonisation appears...
- Accumulated Degree Days (ADD)
- The sum of daily mean temperatures above a threshold (usually 0 °C) over a period of interest. Used as a measure of...
- Blowfly
- Common name for Calliphoridae. The female lays eggs in moist orifices (mouth, nose, eyes, wounds); eggs hatch in 8 to 24 hours...
- Carrion Succession
- The predictable, roughly sequential replacement of insect communities on a decomposing body, driven by changing chemical substrate. Not a strict relay with...
- Flesh Fly
- Common name for Sarcophagidae. Unlike blowflies, the female deposits first-instar larvae directly, so casework often shows live maggots without an egg stage...
- Forensic Entomology
- The application of insect biology to legal investigations, most commonly using the developmental stage and species of insects colonising human remains to...
- Larval Instar
- One of three larval stages (L1, L2, L3) separated by moults. Each instar has distinctive mouth-hook and posterior spiracle morphology that allows...
- Larviposition
- The act of depositing live larvae rather than eggs. Flesh flies are larviparous: the egg hatches internally, and a first instar larva...
- Oviposition
- The act of laying eggs. Blow flies oviposit directly onto remains, choosing moist, sheltered sites such as body orifices and wounds. Temperature...
- Post-Mortem Interval (PMI)
- The time elapsed between death and discovery or examination of remains. PMI estimation draws on multiple disciplines: soft tissue decomposition stage, insect...
- Sarconecrophagous
- Insects that feed directly on the corpse tissue, such as blowflies and flesh flies. The primary first-wave colonisers of carrion.
Explained in these topics
- Flies of Forensic Importance: Blow Flies and Flesh FliesA large family including house flies (Musca domestica) and stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans). Non-metallic, typically dull grey or brown. Secondary or later c...
- Forensic Entomology: Insects of Forensic Importance and ApplicationsHouseflies and stable flies. Musca domestica is the standard example. Arrive in second and third waves as the body bloats and decays.