Musca autumnalis De Geer, 1776
(Face Fly, Autumn House-fly)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesMusca autumnalis (Face Fly, Autumn House-fly)
GenusMusca (house-flies)
FamilyMUSCIDAE (muscid flies: house fly, green bottles)
SuperfamilyMUSCOIDEA (dung and house flies)
InfraorderSchizophora - Calyptratae (an infraorder of flies)
OrderDIPTERA (two-winged flies)
Division Endopterygota (bees, beetles, flies, moths and other insects with wings developing internally)
InfraclassNeoptera (bees, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other advanced insects)
SubclassPTERYGOTA (bees, beetles, dragonflies, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other winged insects)
ClassINSECTA (true insects)
SubphylumHEXAPODA (insects and other 6-legged organisms)
PhylumARTHROPODA (arthropods)
SuperphylumECDYSOZOA (skin shedders)
CladeBilateria (bilaterally symmetrical animals)
SubkingdomEUMETAZOA (metazoans)
KingdomANIMALIA (animals)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Musca autumnalis (Face Fly, Autumn House-fly) :
1: Musca autumnalis (Face Fly, Autumn House-fly)
5 May 2007 OSGR: SU67 51° 30’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Oxon (VC 23) England
Female, resting on gate
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - close-up - enlargedImage 2: Female - dorsal view - close-up - enlarged (2)Image 3: Female - dorsal view - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 4: Female - dorso-lateral view - close-up - enlargedImage 5: Female - frons and antennae - anterior view - magnifiedImage 6: Female - frons and antennae - antero-dorsal view - magnifiedImage 7: Female - head and thorax - dorsal view - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 8: Female - head - anterior view - magnifiedImage 9: Female - thorax - lateral view - magnifiedImage 10: Female - thorax - lateral view - magnified (2)Image 11: Female - thorax - lateral view - magnified (3)
2: Musca autumnalis (Face Fly, Autumn House-fly)
25 Jul 2006 OSGR: SU56 51° 20’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Male, visiting Ragwort
Image 1: Male - head - anterior view - magnifiedImage 2: Male - head - antero-dorsal view - magnifiedImage 3: Male - head - antero-lateral view - magnifiedImage 4: Male - head - antero-lateral view - magnified (2)Image 5: Male - head - antero-ventral view - magnifiedImage 6: Male - head - dorsal view - focused on antennae - magnifiedImage 7: Male - head - dorsal view - focused on antennae - magnified (2)Image 8: Male - head - dorsal view - focused on ocellar triangle - magnifiedImage 9: Male - in situ - visiting Ragwort - close-up - enlargedImage 10: Male - in situ - visiting Ragwort - enlargedImage 11: Male - in situ - visiting Ragwort - enlarged (2)Image 12: Male specimen - dorsal view - enlargedImage 13: Male specimen - lateral view - enlargedImage 14: Male specimen - lateral view - enlarged (2)Image 15: Male specimen - lateral view - enlarged (3)Image 16: Male specimen - lateral view - enlarged (4)Image 17: Male - thorax - lateral view - magnifiedImage 18: Male - thorax - lateral view - magnified (2)Image 19: Male - thorax - lateral view - magnified (3)Image 20: Male - thorax - lateral view - magnified (4)
3: Musca autumnalis (Face Fly, Autumn House-fly)
6 Aug 1998 OSGR: SU58 51° 30’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Male, at Hogweed flowers
Image 1: Male - dorsal view - pale backgroundImage 2: Male - dorsal view - wings apart - pale backgroundImage 3: Male - lateral view - pale background
4: Musca autumnalis (Face Fly, Autumn House-fly)
5 Jun 1997 OSGR: SU67 51° 30’ N, 1° 0’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Male
Image 1: Male - dorsal view - pale backgroundImage 2: Male - lateral view - pale backgroundImage 3: Male - lateral view - pale background (2)
5: Musca autumnalis (Face Fly, Autumn House-fly)
29 Jun 1975 OSGR: SU93 51° 10’ N, 0° 40’ W Vice County: Surrey (VC 17) England
Mating pair
Image 1: Mating pair - lateral view - enlarged

Musca autumnalis (Face Fly, Autumn House-fly) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Musca autumnalis (Face Fly, Autumn House-fly)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 2 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Musca autumnalis (Face Fly, Autumn House-fly)

Generally by far the commonest member of the genus with us, this is a very common fly around cattle and horses (in whose dung it breeds) as well as farther afield. Both sexes have red eyes, a grey thorax with four conspicuous black stripes, and wings tinged orange towards the base, especially on the veins in the female. The male has a black abdomen with a large bright orange patch at each side, while the female is yet another fly whose abdomen sports a grey and black checkerboard of shimmer patches.

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