{{Short description|Genus of flies}} {{Automatic_taxobox | image = Hydrotaea dentipes female.jpg | image_caption = Female ''Hydrotaea diabolus'' | display_parents = 2 | taxon = Hydrotaea | authority = Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830<ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830">{{cite journal |last1=Robineau-Desvoidy |first1=André Jean Baptiste |title=Essai sur les myodaires |journal=Mémoires presentés à l'Institut des Sciences, Lettres et Arts, par divers savants et lus dans ses assemblées: Sciences, Mathématiques et Physique |date=1830 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=1–813 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3472165#page/9/mode/1up |access-date=15 July 2018}}</ref> | type_species = ''Musca meteorica'' | type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1758<ref name="Coquillett01">{{cite journal | last = Coquillett | first = D. W. | year = 1901 | title = Types of anthomyid genera | journal = Journal of the New York Entomological Society | volume = 9 | issue = 3 | pages = 134–146 | author-link = Daniel William Coquillett | jstor = 25002949 }}</ref> | synonyms = *''Ophyra'' <small>Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830</small><ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> *''Alloeonota'' <small>Schnabl, 1911</small> *''Hydrotaeoides'' <small>Skidmore, 1985</small> }} '''''Hydrotaea''''' is a genus of insects in the housefly family, Muscidae. They occur in most regions of the world but are more populous in warmer climates. They are often found on feces in summer months, and are therefore generally found in close proximity to livestock. Among the 130 known species in this genus, one of the most commonly recognized is the dump fly.<ref name="Skidmore88">{{cite book | last = Skidmore | first = P. | title = The Biology of Muscidae of the World | publisher = Springer | pages = 117–146 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CDGduw3heY8C&q=hydrotaea&pg=PA118 | isbn = 978-90-6193-139-3 | year = 1985 }} </ref>
Along with many other genera in the family, ''Hydrotaea'' is of forensic importance in both the economic and public health scene. Flies in general are considered by many authorities to be the most important insects involved in human and veterinary medicine.<ref name="Bay88">{{cite book | last = Bay | first = D. E. |author2=R. L. Harris | title = Introduction to Veterinary Entomology (A Guide to Livestock Insects) | publisher = Stonefly Publishing | year = 1988 | location = Bryan, TX | pages = 54 | isbn =0-9624083-0-1}} </ref> Certain ''Hydrotaea'' species have been proven to carry and transmit certain diseases to warm blooded animals, including humans.<ref name="Loeschcke04"/> Researchers continue to monitor these vectors of disease as they have been connected with the spread of mastitis.<ref name="Chirico97"/>
== Species == {{columns-list|colwidth=25em|1= *''H. acuta'' <small>Stein, 1898</small> *''H. aenescens'' <small>(Wiedemann, 1830)</small><ref name="Wiedemann1830">{{cite book |last1=Wiedemann |first1=Christian Rudolph Wilhelm |title=Aussereuropäische Zweiflügelige Insekten |date=1830 |volume=2 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/88495#page/7/mode/1up |accessdate=21 April 2020}}</ref> *''H. albipuncta'' <small>(Zetterstedt, 1845)</small> *''H. anxia'' <small>(Zetterstedt, 1838)</small> *''H. armipes'' <small>(Fallén, 1825)</small> *''H. atrisquama'' <small>Ringdahl, 1925</small> *''H. australis'' <small>Malloch, 1923</small> *''H. basdeni'' <small>Collin, 1939</small> *''H. borussica'' <small>Stein, 1899</small> *''H. capensis'' <small>(Wiedemann, 1818)</small> *''H. chalcogaster'' <small>(Wiedemann, 1824)</small> *''H. cinerea'' <small>Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830</small><ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> *''H. cristata'' <small>Malloch, 1918</small> *''H. cyrtoneurina'' <small>(Zetterstedt, 1845)</small> *''H. dentipes'' <small>(Fabricius, 1805)</small> *''H. depressa'' <small>Huckett, 1954</small> *''H. diabolus'' <small>(Harris, 1780)</small><ref name="Harris1780">{{cite book |last1=Harris |first1=M. |title=An exposition of English insects |volume= Decads III, IV|date=1780 |publisher=Robson Co. |location=London |pages= 73-99, 100-138, pls. 21-30, 31-40 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/226006#page/5/mode/1up |access-date=16 July 2021}}</ref> *''H. floccosa'' <small>Macquart, 1835</small> *''H. glabricula'' <small>(Fallén, 1825)</small> *''H. hennigi'' <small>Pont, 1986</small> *''H. hirticeps'' <small>(Fallén, 1824)</small> *''H. hirtipes'' <small>(Malloch, 1924)</small> *''H. houghi'' <small>Malloch, 1916</small> *''H. ignava'' <small>(Harris, 1780)</small><ref name="Harris1780"/> *''H. irritans'' <small>(Fallén, 1823)</small> *''H. lasiophthalma'' <small>Malloch, 1919</small> *''H. lundbecki'' <small>(Michelsen, 1978)</small> *''H. meridionalis'' <small>Porschinskiy, 1882</small> *''H. meteorica'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> *''H. militaris'' <small>(Meigen, 1826)</small> *''H. nidicola'' <small>Malloch, 1925</small> *''H. obscurifrons'' <small>(Sabrosky, 1949)</small> *''H. palaestrica'' <small>(Meigen, 1826)</small> *''H. pallicornis'' <small>Pont, 1973</small> *''H. pandellei'' <small>Stein, 1899</small> *''H. parva'' <small>Meade, 1889</small> *''H. pellucens'' <small>Porchinskiy, 1879</small> *''H. penicillata'' <small>(Rondani, 1866)</small> *''H. pilipes'' <small>Stein, 1903</small> *''H. pilitibia'' <small>Stein, 1916</small> *''H. ringdahli'' <small>Stein, 1916</small> *''H. rostrata'' <small>Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830</small><ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> *''H. scambus'' <small>(Zetterstedt, 1838)</small> *''H. similis'' <small>Meade, 1887</small> *''H. spinifemorata'' <small>Huckett, 1954</small> *''H. spinigera'' <small>Stein, 1910</small> *''H. tersa'' <small>(Wiedemann, 1830)</small><ref name="Wiedemann1830"/> *''H. tuberculata'' <small>Rondani, 1866</small> *''H. unispinosa'' <small>Stein, 1898</small> *''H. velutina'' <small>Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830</small><ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> }}
== Description == Larvae of this genus are often dimorphic obligate carnivores. The second and third instars are predators, and the first is also carnivorous in some species. Some species have cannibalistic final instars. The smallest larvae are under 6 mm<ref name="Adrienne09">{{Cite book| last = Brundage| first = A.| title = Muscidae and Other Families| location = Texas A&M University Forensic Entomology Lecture| publisher= Texas A&M University| date = March 2, 2009 }}</ref> and the largest are up to 16 mm.<ref name="Sukontason">{{cite journal | last = Sukontason | first = K. L.| title = Ultrastructure of spiracles of ''Musca domestica'' and ''Hydrotaea chalcogaster'' (Diptera: Muscidae) | journal = Parasitology Research | volume = 100 | issue = 1 | pages = 19–23 | date = 20 April 2006 | doi = 10.1007/s00436-006-0221-0 | pmid = 16763837| s2cid = 12847092|display-authors=etal}}</ref> The abdomen has ventral welts and large spiracles with sinuate slits.<ref name="Skidmore88"/>
Adults commonly feed on the blood of mammals. They are able to reopen wounds that are almost completely healed. Mouthpart morphology in the genus ranges from sponging mouthparts to mouths with rasping teeth. Many species have enlarged prestomal teeth. The metathoracic spiracle is covered in long, thick setae.<ref name="Sukontason"/> The average male ''Hydrotaea'' is 6.5–8.5 mm and the average female is 5.75–7.5 mm. They are very light brown to bluish black with large, red eyes and plumose antennae.
== Habitat ==
Flies in this genus are found in the warmer parts of North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. They are most commonly found in urban settings. They are attracted to fermentation and are often found in vegetation, feces, and decomposing carcasses, mainly those dead longer than ten days.<ref name="Skidmore88"/>
==Life cycle== The life cycle of ''Hydrotaea rostrata'' has been studied in the field of forensic entomology. Mature flies seek out decay, preferably in material that has been dead for an extended amount of time. Masses of maggots, which are often characteristic of other species of flies, are not typical of ''H. rostrata''. The larvae of this species progress through three stages, or instars, which are then followed by the formation of a pupa. The adult fly emerges from the pupa. The developmental process from egg to adult takes between 518.4 and 1555.6 hours, according to one study in Australia. Development is more rapid in warmer temperatures of {{convert|19|-|30|C|F}}. In cooler temperatures of {{convert|12|-|18|C|F}}, development may take up to 64.5 days.<ref name="Dadour">{{cite journal | last = Dadour | first = I. R. | author2=D. F. Cook |author3=N. Wirth | title = Rate of development of ''Hydrotaea rostrata'' under summer and winter (cyclic and constant) temperature regimes | journal = Medical and Veterinary Entomology | volume = 15 | pages = 177–182 | year = 2001 | doi = 10.1046/j.1365-2915.2001.00291.x | pmid = 11434551 | issue = 2| s2cid = 43905445 }} </ref>
The larvae of another species, the black dump fly (''H. aenescens''), inhabit fecal material and consume other larvae, including those of ''Musca domestica'', the housefly.<ref name="Hogsette">{{cite journal | last = Hogsette | first = J. A. |author2=R. D. Jacobs | title = Failure of ''Hydrotaea aenescens'', a larval predator of the housefly, ''Musca domestica'', to establish in wet poultry manure on a commercial farm in Florida, U.S.A. | journal = Medical and Veterinary Entomology | volume = 13 | pages = 349–354 | year = 1999 | doi = 10.1046/j.1365-2915.1999.00173.x | pmid = 10608222 | issue = 4| s2cid = 30910509 }}</ref><ref name="Tomberlin">{{cite web |last=Tomberlin |first=J. K. |author2=Schuster, G. L. |title=Suppression of arthropod pests on small flocks of domestic fowl in Texas |url=http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/eee_00011.cfm |access-date=2009-03-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516072203/http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/eee_00011.cfm |archive-date=2010-05-16 }} </ref> The black dump fly is commercially available for use in housefly control.<ref name="Hogsette"/> It is also useful in forensics, as it may inhabit corpses.<ref name="Forensic">{{cite book | last = Byrd | first = J. H. | author2 = J. L. Castner | title = Forensic Entomology: The Utility Of Arthropods in Forensic Investigations | publisher = CRC Press | year = 2000 | location = Boca Raton | pages = [https://archive.org/details/forensicentomolo0000unse/page/54 54] | isbn = 0-8493-8120-7 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/forensicentomolo0000unse/page/54 }} </ref>
Some larvae are able to seek shelter underground in cold conditions.<ref name="Loeschcke04">{{cite journal | doi = 10.1111/j.1439-0469.2004.00260.x | last = Loeschcke | first = V.| title = Genetic evidence for population expansion in ''Hydrotaea irritans'' (Fallen) (Diptera: Muscidae) | journal = Journal of Zoological Systematics & Evolutionary Research | volume = 42 | pages = 257–261 | year = 2004 | issue = 3|display-authors=etal| doi-access = free }} </ref>
==Associated pathogens== Research has incriminated ''Hydrotaea irritans'' as a vector of summer mastitis, a bovine infection that can be caused by multiple suspected bacteria.<ref name="Chirico97">{{cite journal | last = Chirico | first = J.| title = Summer mastitis experimentally induced by ''Hydrotaea irritans'' exposed to bacteria | journal = Medical and Veterinary Entomology | volume = 11 | pages = 187–192 | year = 1997 | doi = 10.1111/j.1365-2915.1997.tb00312.x | pmid = 9226651 | issue = 2| s2cid = 7116982|display-authors=etal}} </ref> The research allowed flies inoculated with select bacteria from a sample representing summer mastitis to come in contact with the udders of cattle. The bacteria appeared in some of the cows and on the bodies of just over a third of the doctored flies. The evidence indicates that ''H. irritans'' transmits the bacterial species ''Staphylococcus aureus'', ''Streptococcus dysgalactiae'', ''Streptococcus uberis'', ''Streptococcus agalactiae'', ''Arcanobacterium pyogenes'', ''Peptostreptococcus indolicus'', and ''Fusobacterium necrophorum''.<ref name="Chirico97"/>
''H. irritans'' attacks many other warm-blooded animals, including humans.<ref name="Loeschcke04"/>
''H. aenescens'' also carries bacteria, particularly ''Salmonella'' serovar Infantis.<ref name="Olsene00">{{cite journal | last = Olsen | first = A. |author2=T. S. Hammack | title = Isolation of ''Salmonella'' spp. from the housefly, ''Musca domestica'' L., and the dump fly, ''Hydrotaea aenescens'' (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Muscidae), at caged-layer houses | journal = Journal of Food Protection | volume = 63 | pages = 958–960 | year = 2000 | pmid = 10914668 | issue = 7| doi = 10.4315/0362-028x-63.7.958 | doi-access = free }} </ref>
==Forensic importance== ''Hydrotaea'' species have been helpful in forensic cases worldwide by indicating post-mortem interval (PMI).<ref name="Forensic"/> These flies typically inhabit a carcass 4 to 5 months after the start of decomposition.<ref name="Adrienne09"/> Their presence indicates that the corpse was not burned and that the earlier blow-fly phase has ended.<ref name="Sukontason01">{{Cite journal| last = Kabkaew| first = S.| title = Forensic entomology case of two burned corpses in Thailand| journal = Entomological Odyssey| volume = D | pages = 217| year = 2001 |display-authors=etal}}</ref> ''Hydrotaea'' larvae may feed on each other and on other flies, such as blow-flies.<ref name="Adrienne09"/>
''Hydrotaea'' can be used to identify drugs and to determining whether a body was relocated. ''Hydrotaea spinigera'' can make up 70% of the muscid fly population on a corpse in forested habitat.<ref name="Sukontason07">{{cite journal | last =Sukontason, K. | title = Forensic entomology cases in Thailand: a review of cases from 2000 to 2006 | journal = Parasitology Research | volume = 101 | issue = 5 | pages = 1417–1423 | date = October 2007 | doi = 10.1007/s00436-007-0659-8 | pmid =17647017 | s2cid = 22805102 |display-authors=etal}} </ref> ''Hydrotaea rostrata'' may arrive at a decomposing body on the second day of decay, and may stay up to 34 days or until the body is skeletonized.<ref name="Voss08">{{cite journal | last = Voss | first = S. C. |author2=Forbes, S. L. |author3=Dadour, I. R. | title = Decomposition and insect succession on cadavers inside a vehicle environment | journal = Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology | volume = 4 | issue = 1 | pages = 22–23 | date = March 2008 | url = https://api.research-repository.uwa.edu.au/files/1467910/11044_PID11044.pdf | doi = 10.1007/s12024-007-0028-z | pmid = 19291466| s2cid = 17465743 }} </ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q4194465}}
Category:Muscidae genera Category:Forensic entomology Category:Flies of North America Category:Muscomorpha of Europe Category:Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Robineau-Desvoidy Category:Muscidae