Diptera interesting facts. Interesting data and facts about mosquitoes. House flies rarely fly long distances

Science and technology

Sexual dimorphism. One of the amazing phenomena often found in Diptera is sexual dimorphism, i.e. significant differences in appearance between males and females of the same species. For example, as noted above, males of many species have compound eyes that are holoptic; are in contact with each other, while in females they are separated by a frontal stripe (dichoptic). In female mosquitoes, the antennae are slightly pubescent, while in males they are densely covered with long hairs. Sexual dimorphism can also be expressed in size: males are usually smaller. In females of some species, wings are absent or greatly reduced, while in males they are normally developed. In one of the families of Diptera, in females, two veins of the wing merge at its edge, and in rare males, they are separated throughout. In another group, the legs, antennae, or other body parts of males often bear tufts of hairs with a metallic sheen, absent in females. The legs of the males of some mosquitoes are trimmed with a wide scaly fringe; females do not have it. Differences between the sexes in coloration are common, but usually not conspicuous. However, sometimes this difference is quite significant; for example, males of one American weevils are pale rufous, while females are nearly black.

Mimicry and protective coloration. Many species of harmless Diptera are strikingly similar in appearance to other insects, especially bees and wasps, which man and probably other animals try to avoid. This phenomenon is called mimicry. Its typical example is the appearance of a row of hoverflies; they are so similar to wasps that even an entomologist does not always immediately correctly identify an insect. Other hoverflies mimic the appearance of bees. Some flies are more or less like bumblebees. This similarity is also reflected in the Diptera nomenclature: the whole family Bombyliidae (buzzers) is named in Latin after bumblebees ( bombbus); there are bee hoverflies, bumblebee-like hoverfly, hornet-like hoverfly, etc.; one of the ktyr genera is called Bombomima("imitating bumblebees").

Some Diptera avoid predators with the help of patronizing, i.e. camouflage, coloring. Dark color mushroom mosquitoes make them invisible when they sit motionless in crevices under fallen trees. Other Diptera have a "dismembering" coloration. For example, in liriopids, bright black and white stripes on the body are arranged in such a way that these insects, flying against a light or dark background, look just like sets of spots that do not add up to a single whole.

LIFE CYCLE Like other higher insects, the Diptera life cycle is complex and includes complete metamorphosis. The eggs of most species are oblong and light. They hatch into larvae, usually elongated, roughly cylindrical, soft-bodied and legless. In most cases, the hard parts of the head are greatly reduced; such worm-like larvae are called maggots. The larva feeds intensively and periodically molts as it grows. The number of larval molts in Diptera varies, but usually there are two or three. Then comes the pupal stage. In some Diptera, it is formed inside the larval skin, which turns into the so-called. "puparia". In the end, the pupal shell is torn, and an adult insect (imago) is born.

Life cycle of a house fly. On the example of a house fly, one can trace the course of development of Diptera. To lay eggs, the female seeks out accumulations of decaying organic matter, such as dung or garbage heaps. Thus, the fly instinctively leaves the clutch where the inactive larva will be provided with a sufficient amount of food. At one time, the female can lay 120 or slightly more narrow whitish eggs of approx. 1 mm long. Their huge masses are found in places where several females leave their clutches at the same time. At summer temperatures of 2435 ° C, the development of eggs takes approx. 8 ocloc'k. The worm-like larvae hatched from them are approx. 2 mm begin to eat greedily. They grow so fast that the first molt occurs after 24-36 hours, and the second one about a day later. The larva in the third stage feeds for another 7296 hours and grows to a length of approx. 12 mm, and then pupates.

An oblong pupa is formed inside the last larval skin, which becomes the pupal sheath (puparium). This shell changes its off-white color to brown and hardens. Within 4–5 days, inside the externally inactive pupa, the larval tissues disintegrate and rearrange, forming the structures of an adult insect. In the end, the imago comes out with the help of a special frontal bladder, which, under the pressure of the “blood” (hemolymph) injected into it, protrudes into the frontal part of the head. Under its pressure, the “lid” of the puparia opens, releasing an adult insect. It crawls out of the decaying debris or soil in which pupation has occurred, spreads its initially crumpled wings and flies away to feed and mate, starting a new life cycle.

Another curious form of reproduction found in some Diptera is pedogenesis, i.e. the appearance of offspring in outwardly immature individuals. So, in gall midges, an adult female lays only 4 or 5 eggs, from which large larvae are formed. Within each of them, from 5 to 30 (depending on the species and individual) daughter larvae develop. They feed on the mother's body and then reproduce themselves in the same way. After several such cycles, the next larvae pupate, and a generation of adults is formed. Reproduction of larvae occurs without mating. This development of unfertilized eggs is called parthenogenesis. This phenomenon in the absence of pedogenesis has been found in other Diptera, for example, in some midges. Females lay unfertilized eggs, from which only females emerge. Parthenogenesis can be cyclic, continuous or sporadic. See BREEDING;

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION On land, there is, perhaps, no such corner where Diptera would not live. This is the most common order of insects, although the ranges of many of its families are not fully known. Each of the large zoographic regions is characterized by its own set of taxa, but the genera and families to which they belong can be cosmopolitan, i.e. meet almost everywhere. About two dozen species of Diptera are also cosmopolitan. Approximately half of them were unwittingly settled all over the planet by man. These species include the ubiquitous housefly, the peeper mosquito ( Culex pipiens), gastric horse gadfly and autumn zhigalka. Among the approximately 130 Diptera families, less than 20 are truly cosmopolitan, although the ranges of many others are not much narrower; they are distributed subcosmopolitan.

Diptera abound in the humid tropics. The distribution of most families of this natural area and is limited, while many others reach their maximum diversity and abundance here. In temperate or cold regions per unit area is found fewer species Diptera, but the number of their individuals is often not lower than in the tropics. In the windswept Arctic wilderness, on mountaintops and among the dunes, where harsh climatic conditions do not suit most insects, Diptera remain the most prominent representatives of this group of invertebrates. In the north of Greenland, a few hundred kilometers from the North Pole, there are weevils, carrion flies, flower girls, bells and mushroom mosquitoes. On the other side of the Earth, on the Antarctic islands, there are several species of midges, hoverflies, weevils, gall midges and some other groups. In Antarctica itself, only one species of wingless mosquito has so far been recorded, but it is likely that other diptera will be found there.

Diptera of mainland islands are usually close to those living on the nearest continents, but on more isolated oceanic islands, even though they belong to widespread groups, they are often very peculiar. Apparently, a single, accidental hit of some species on such islands in the distant past led in the course of evolution to the appearance of a whole set of various forms. This can explain, for example, the fact that almost a third of the 246 Hawaiian Diptera species belong to just one family.

ECOLOGY Possessing thin covers, most Diptera are not able to effectively retain water in the body. They would be in constant danger of desiccation if they did not live in more or less humid conditions. Although the larvae are in many cases aquatic, adults are almost always terrestrial. The only exception sea striders Limonia monostromia, whose entire life cycle takes place in warm sea waters off the coast of Japan.

Larvae. The habitats of Diptera larvae are much more diverse than those of adults and include almost all types of ecological niches. Some attack aphids or gnaw on the leaves of mosses and other plants, i.e. live openly. However, in most cases, they develop in the thickness of a moist substrate, for example, inside the leaves, stems and roots of plants. The larvae of many species burrow through decaying wood, fungi, or soil, feeding on organic debris or microscopic invertebrates.

Often they live in stagnant and flowing bodies of water of any size, where they feed on vegetation, microorganisms, or insects of other species. Most of these aquatic larvae prefer shallow places, but in some bell mosquitoes they dive to depths of more than 300 m. If their development requires a good supply of oxygen, they attach themselves to the stones of river rapids or mountain streams. The larvae and pupae of some Diptera prefer water with high content alkalis or salts, and in one Californian species they live in oil pools. Others are found in hot springs and geysers, where the water temperature reaches 50 ° C. The larvae of one of the mosquitoes survive even in the liquid that fills the pitcher leaves carnivorous plants where other insects drown and digest.

EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY Judging by the fossil finds, insects already existed in the Devonian period, i.e. OK. 300 million years ago. However, until the Upper Triassic (about 160 million years ago), the remains of Diptera were not found among them. The most primitive representatives of this order are similar to long-legged and united in the extinct family Architipulidae. Many different Diptera, close to modern forms, found in Baltic amber resin coniferous trees, petrified in the Upper Oligocene, i.e. about 35 million years ago. In the Miocene shales from Florissant, Colorado, many fossil centipedes, mushroom mosquitoes, and other Diptera, characteristic of swampy habitats, have been found. Among them, even the tsetse fly is noted, although at present this genus is found only in Africa. The study of Baltic amber and Florissant fossils showed that by the middle of the Cenozoic era, Diptera had passed most its evolutionary development.

SIGNIFICANCE IN HUMAN LIFE Many species of Diptera are best known as disease vectors, annoying bloodsuckers, and crop pests. Most effective chemical methods to combat them, however, even the latest insecticides cannot be considered a panacea, since insects quickly acquire resistance to them (resistance).

carriers of human diseases. Listed below are just some of the medically important Diptera.

Housefly mechanically transfers pathogens of bacterial dysentery; it is possible that it can also spread the bacteria of typhoid, paratyphoid, cholera and polio virus.

horseflies can transmit from an infected animal pathogens of tularemia, as well as one of the filariasis loiasis.

cereal flies from the genus hippelates, feeding near the eyes, they easily introduce a bacterium into them that causes acute epidemic conjunctivitis.

Bloodsucking. Blood-sucking dipterans, even if they are not carriers of diseases, such as biting midges, autumn zhigalka, many mosquitoes and midges, during a mass attack worsen the state of human health, causing itching and allergic reactions, sharply reducing efficiency. In addition, all of these species remain potential carriers of pathogens.

Pests of agricultural plants. Compared with beetles, butterflies, herbivorous bugs, and representatives of some other orders of insects, Diptera cause relatively little harm to agricultural plants. Definite value in this sense, only 5-6 families have representatives. Serious pests of cereals include the Hessian fly from the family of gall midges. This species damages mainly wheat, but is also dangerous for barley and rye. Hessian fly larvae feed on plant sap at the base of the stems, causing them to stun and lodging. With the development of wheat varieties resistant to such damage, the importance of this agricultural pest has decreased. The variegated family includes many species that feed on the succulent fruits of various plants, but only a few of them cause serious damage. Thus, the larvae of the apple moth spoil apples, damage the fruits of citrus and other fruit trees, significantly reducing the yield. The larvae of other Diptera gnaw out various plants moves. As an example, three species from the family of flower girls can be cited: sprout, cabbage spring and onion flies. Representatives of the family of cereal flies, living in many parts of the world, harm cereal crops.

CLASSIFICATION Diptera order is divided according to different systems, into 121138 families, which are grouped into two or three suborders. The classification most often uses such features as venation of the wings, the length of the antennae and the number of segments in them, the number and arrangement of setae and spines on the body and legs, the configuration of the external genital appendages, the presence or absence of simple ocelli, and the shape of the opening through which the imago leaves the pupal skin or puparia. The color, size and shape of the body do not always make it possible to judge the degree of relationship, because natural selection often leads to an outward resemblance of representatives of very distant groups. The scheme proposed below, which includes only the most important families, is only one of possible ways classification of approximately 100 thousand species of Diptera; the number of species in families is approximate.

Suborder Nematocera(long-haired). These insects are characterized by long antennae with more than three segments. The group includes 36 families. The antennae in adults consist of 6 or more approximately identical, movably connected segments, and the mandibular palps usually consist of 4 or 5. The larvae have a well-developed dark-colored head capsule. The pupa is not enclosed in a larval skin; puparia is not formed.

Tipulidae (long-legged): 10,000 species, cosmopolitan.

Psychodidae (butterflies): 400 species, sub-cosmopolitans.

Chironomidae (bells, or jerks): 2000 species, cosmopolitans.

Ceratopogonidae (midges): 1500 species, subcosmopolitans.

Culicidae (true mosquitoes): 1600 species, cosmopolitan.

Mycetophilidae (fungi gnats): 2400 species, cosmopolitans.

Cecidomyiidae (gall midges): 4500 species, subcosmopolitans.

Bibionidae (pasties): 500 species, mainly in Eurasia and North America.

Simuliidae (midges): 600 species, subcosmopolitan, but especially numerous in Eurasia, North and South America.

Blepharoceridae (Reticulata): 75 species, found in the highlands.

Suborder Brachycera(short-whiskered) includes approximately 100 families. The antennae of adult insects consist of three segments, of which the last (distal) segment is thickened and bears an appendage in the form of a bristle or rod on the dorsal side or apex. Palpi with one or two segments. The head of the larva is poorly formed or rudimentary. In representatives of some families (straight-seam), the pupa is free; in other cases (circular Diptera) it develops inside the puparium.

Tabanidae (gadflies): 3000 species, mainly in the tropics and subtropics.

Stratiomyiidae (lionfish): 1500 species, subcosmopolitan.

Rhagionidae (snipes): 500 species, mainly in North America and Eurasia.

Nemestrinidae (long-proboscis): 250 species, sub-cosmopolitan, but mainly in Central and North Africa.

Bombyliidae (buzzers): 2000 species, sub-cosmopolitan, but mainly in North America and the Mediterranean.

Asilidae (Ktyrs): 5000 species, sub-cosmopolitan, but most diverse in the tropics.

Mydaidae: 200 species, distributed in many but isolated regions.

Dolichopodidae (greenfinches): 2000 species, cosmopolitans.

Empididae (pushers): 3000 species, mainly in Eurasia, North and South America.

Phoridae (humpbacks): 1000 species, mainly in the tropics.

Platypezidae (mushroom flies): 100 species, mainly in Eurasia and North America.

Pipunculidae: 400 species, mostly on the northern continents.

Syrphidae (Hoverflies): 4000 species, sub-cosmopolitans.

Conopidae (bigheads): 500 species, subcosmopolitans.

Ortalidae (spotflies): 1200 species, cosmopolitan but especially abundant in the tropics.

Trypetidae (stripedflies): 2000 species, mainly in the tropics and subtropics.

Sciomyzidae (tennis): 200 species, mainly in the northern continents and southeast Asia.

Drosophilidae ( fruit flies): 750 species, subcosmopolitans.

Ephydridae (shorebirds): 800 species, mainly in Eurasia and North America.

Chloropidae (grass flies): 1200 species, cosmopolitan.

Agromyzidae (mining flies): 1000 species, cosmopolitan but especially abundant in Eurasia.

Anthomyiidae (flower girls): 3000 species, cosmopolitans.

Calliphoridae (carrion flies): 500 species, sub-cosmopolitan, but mostly in the Northern Hemisphere.

Sarcophagidae (grey blowflies): 1000 species, sub-cosmopolitan, but mostly in the tropics.

Muscidae (true flies): 150 species, cosmopolitan.

Tachinidae (Hedgehogs): 5,000 species, cosmopolitan but most diverse in the tropics.

Oestridae (nasopharyngeal gadflies): 150 species, sub-cosmopolitan, but mostly in warm areas.

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At first glance, it seems that the mosquito is a harmless creature that does neither good nor harm. He only pesters other beings with his existence. However, this insect is not as simple as it seems. The fact of its existence already calls into question, because its life originated long before the appearance of the first person on earth.

The mosquito belongs to the family Diptera, which in turn belong to the group of long-whiskers. In total, there are about three thousand species of mosquitoes. Not all species live in Russia. The habitat of these insects is very large. It just does not cover the zone of Antarctica. The main type is "common mosquito", which is present on half of the globe, in other words, where there is an object of its existence - a person. They spread very simply, when flying planes, when melting on ships, when driving, where their larvae were deposited and stored in tires or barrels of drugs.

The difference between mosquitoes and other species of insects belonging to the arthropod group is that they have great endurance and are very mobile, they have the ability, for example, to fly long distances without using landings.

The vital activity of females and males varies significantly, because their life expectancy is different, their nutrition is different, as well as other features that will be indicated in this article.

The above is only the main characteristics and data that are known to most. However, this information is not exhaustive and may be supplemented less known information, which will be useful to know to anyone who has ever encountered these creatures.

The following data will be very extraordinary, but are useful information for people who are familiar with this insect.

Everyone knows that mosquitoes cause inconvenience with their buzzing and bites to people, but not many of them are aware that only female mosquitoes feed on blood. The males themselves do not feed on human blood. Their food is replaced by other means of survival. They mainly feed on the nectar of flowers and plants. It is worth noting that the females do not bite, but suck. They're looking for plasma in a person's blood to feed her eggs.

Very often you can hear information that mosquitoes generally live only one day. They are born, satisfy their need for food, and then die. However, this opinion is erroneous. Mosquitoes in general can survive from a week to several months. The timing of the distribution of the life cycle depends again on gender. As with humans, women overwhelmingly outlive men. Among mosquitoes, this rule works just as well. The existence of the female sometimes reaches up to several months, and the male is inferior to her in this and lives for a maximum of three weeks.

It has already been noted earlier that mosquitoes appeared long before the appearance of the first person on earth. It is stated that the appearance of the first mosquito mosquito falls on the Mesozoic era in the Jurassic period. This only means that they caused inconvenience even to dinosaurs.

It is known that a favorable habitat will be the place where the humidity exceeds the norm. That is, if there is a drought in the city and it rains once every three months, then it will be unsuitable for mosquitoes here. However, mosquito mosquito larvae are very well adapted to drought and cold. It will be enough that it rains for a week so that the eggs can be fertilized.

It is very difficult for a mosquito to stay in the air due to its lightness, but it is guided by smell. Which one specifically? Carbon dioxide- this is the smell that attracts the mosquito. It is worth noting that people with excessive sweating are subject to frequent mosquito attacks. Mosquito victims are people who drink alcohol, because ethanol can raise body temperature, which leads to sweat on the human body.

When autumn or winter comes, mosquitoes do not have a general death of these insects. They just settle down in secluded places, for example, in the bark of trees or in dried leaves, they can also settle down in the cracks of houses. A comfortable zone for existence in these seasons will be basements and apartments, where high humidity air.

It would seem that what benefit can be from a mosquito, because it only bites and carries infections, but it is. The main benefit of the mosquito is that it is essential link in the food chain, because it satisfies the needs of fish and other insects that feed on it. The benefit lies in the fact that males, when they feed on nectar, involuntarily leave pollen on their paws, which then pollinates other plants.

Higher listed facts dealt mainly with the nature of the mosquito, but there are no less amazing fact. People admired this insect and erected a monument to him. The largest monument is the one that is located in Canada in the city of Komarino. The monument is made of steel and reaches a height of five meters.

Thus, by its nature, a mosquito is not a simple insect, it has its own disadvantages, advantages and distinctive characteristics.

Mosquitoes appeared in the Jurassic era, more than 175 million years ago, so even dinosaurs inherited from them.

Mosquitoes (or mosquitoes) belong to the order Diptera(relatives of flies, "Mosquito" in Spanish means "little fly"), suborder Nematocera("with thin antennae"), family Culicidae.

There are over 3,000 species of mosquitoes, found both in the arctic tundra and in tropical rainforests. At the same time, all types of mosquitoes become active at a temperature of 12.7 degrees Celsius, so their greatest concentration is, of course, in warm and humid forests, swamps, and dry deserts.

The peak of activity of mosquitoes falls on twilight and night, but during the day they rest, hiding in houses and plants. During the day, mosquitoes are food for other animal species.

mosquitoes happen different sizes, up to 12.5 mm. Fossil mosquitoes reached 5 centimeters in length!

Mosquitoes don't bite, they suck. 1,200,000 mosquitoes are enough to drink all the blood out of a person. These, of course, are theoretical calculations, because before that a person will die from irritation and pain shock.

An experiment in the Canadian tundra showed that people with bare arms, legs and torso receive 9,000 stings of young mosquitoes per minute. At this rate, a person can lose half of their blood in two hours.

Only female mosquitoes bite. They bite both humans and other vertebrates, from mice to turtles, sucking their blood. Such food is necessary for females to bear offspring. Some species of mosquitoes can give birth without having previously sucked blood, but at the first opportunity they do not refuse it (species Culex). One drop of blood gives life to thousands of mosquito eggs. The most "tasty" blood for mosquitoes is in people with the first and second blood groups, as well as children.

Male mosquitoes do not suck blood - they feed on plant foods and nectar.

A mosquito sting looks simple, but under high magnification turns into complex structure. It consists of six parts - two tubes, salivary and nutritional, surrounded by two sharp lower jaws and two "scalpels" with sawtooth teeth. All 6 parts are enclosed in a protective sheath along the entire length. When bitten, the sting plunges several millimeters into the skin until it reaches a small blood vessel.

Mosquitoes have olfactory and thermosensing organs, located on a pair of antennae, and three pairs of legs that direct them to the victim, impersonating increased concentrations of carbon dioxide, heat and sweat.

They are voracious, hardy and ubiquitous - that's not all Interesting Facts about insects. Want to know more? A selection of 15 reliable information from the life of representatives of the most numerous class of animals on Earth will help you with this.

1. Mosquitoes feed on plant sap and nectar.. But some of them suck blood not out of hunger, but to obtain the proteins necessary for bearing offspring. Thus, only females are bloodsuckers, and males are absolute vegetarians.
2. Despite the fact that the female mosquito is forced to use the blood, she chooses the “dish” meticulously. Females bite women more often than men, and blondes are preferred to brunettes. Gourmets determine the victim by smell: they like fat people, athletes, pregnant women, owners of the second and third blood groups.

   

3. One of the reasons for the prevalence of mosquitoes in environment– greater viability of their eggs. Unfavorable conditions for the offspring of insects do not care. Mosquito eggs can lie in cold, dry soil for up to 3 years, and then come to life with the onset of heat, when the ground becomes wet.

   

4. The largest representative among Lepidoptera is agrippa (tisania). The butterfly, whose wingspan is 30 cm, belongs to the scoop family and lives in Latin America. Queen Alexandra's birdwing is recognized as the second record holder in the "largest" category.

   

5. The smallest butterfly, acetozea, has a wingspan of only 2 mm.. You can see these nocturnal babies in the UK. Slightly less than the title of "the smallest butterflies" is the radiculosis that lives in the Canary Islands.

   

6. Living to the fullest seems to be the life motto of ephemeris or mayflies. In one day, these insects have time to be born, leave offspring and die. Such butterflies do not need to look for food, since their digestive organs are filled with air.

   

7. The most poisonous spider, according to the compilers of the popular collection of the Guinness Book of Records, is "Brazilian Wanderer". The insect got its nickname for excessive activity.

   

8. Among the spiders there are cannibals. A vivid confirmation of this is the black widow, which lives in Eurasia, Australia and Oceania. After mating, the female of this species devours the smaller male, as it spends a lot of energy during the mating season.

   

9. by the most big spider on Earth, the goliath tarantula (theraphosa blond) is considered. The insect lives in the tropics of Latin America, eats medium-sized snakes, mice, frogs and lizards. The size of the calf with straightened legs is 25–28 cm.

   

10. Ants are one of the oldest insects on the planet.. Their age is 100–130 million years. It is also interesting that, having survived to this day, they have practically not changed in appearance. The reason for this adaptability, according to scientists, lies in the social lifestyle.
11. Some of the ants not only hunt, but also livestock. Ants-cattle breeders "graze" mealybugs, leafhoppers, aphids, contain homoptera in "stalls". The reward for the labors is the sweet excrement of "cattle", going to food.

    

12. The main occupation of the Amazon ants is the war, during which they capture the pupae of strangers.. In the future, the captives are used as slaves. The militants themselves are not able to feed themselves, since they cannot organize life.

    

13. Not only spiders are poisonous, but also caterpillars. The most dangerous butterfly larva is the lonomia, which lives in the American rainforests. She has a calm disposition and nondescript color, but the spikes on the body of the caterpillar contain the strongest toxin that acts as an anticoagulant.

    

14. A stunning example of vitality - a cockroach. With his head torn off, he can live for weeks. To respond to touch and move, the insect does not need a brain. Instead, the basic reflex functions are performed by accumulations of the nervous tissue of the body.

    

15. The most voracious insect in the world is the desert locust.. This pest, which lives in Asia and Africa, eats as much daily as it weighs. A flock of 50 million individuals per day destroys food, which would be enough for 1 thousand people for six months.