Bibio marci

March fly ( Bibio marci ), male

The March fly ( Bibio marci ), also known as March Hair mosquito, fly or Markus Markus Hair mosquito, the most common, usually occurring in flocks way is from the family of hair mosquitoes ( Bibionidae ) and thus belongs to the Diptera (Diptera ). The name Markus fly they have is because they to the St. Mark, 25 April, very often swarm in time.

Features

March flies are deep glossy black gnats ( Nematocera ), similar to the more flies ( Brachycera ). For the nine-membered mosquito antennae are very short, the buttons are five-membered. March flies are about eight to eleven millimeters long, making them the largest hair mosquitoes Europe. The females and the male rough-haired one can very well differ on the eyes, the males have very large, hemispherical eyes, while the females have only small, side -set eyes and a smaller head. The secondary eyes are very noticeable. The females have black wings and the males seem to be more whitish. The front rails are pulled out like a mandrel. Wings and legs are rather short, thus they act stocky and relatively robust. In flight, the males of mosquitoes can typically attach the legs, so they appear to be quite clumsy.

Dissemination

March flies are spread from Europe to Central Asia. Can often be seen in large flocks then hang on bushes or small plants. They prefer open landscapes in the vicinity of water.

Nutrition

The adult flies feed in March of various plant juices and nectar and pollinate the flowers here. In the larval stage they feed especially from rotting plant parts ( saprophag ) in the soil and are thus quite useful. But it is sometimes also happens that they eat into living rhizomes, leaves and algae ( rhizophag, phyllophag ). However, March flies are considered omnivores because they also feed on faeces ( coprophag ) and consume various small animals ( zoophag ). From the decay of their fecal pellets produced very quickly Feinmull. In the intestinal tract many bacteria that find good living conditions in the feces and decompose it along with lower fungi and protozoa live.

Reproduction

For finding the pair in March Flies dance with each other in the air. The pairing start in the air during flight, and is continued on the ground or at low shrubs. The female lays about 100 eggs after mating in the loose soil or fertilizer and die soon after the March flies. After the new generation hatched in 35 to 40 days, the larvae develop in soil, manure or leaves relatively sociable and hibernate. Because of their sociability they fly then the end of March to May swarms of.

Parasitology

March flies are often attacked by Borophaga incrassata, a solitary endoparasites. The parasite eggs are introduced into the larvae or pupae of their victims. First, she lives in the head of their host, the deformed, therefore. After the head has been hollowed out, the parasite larvae migrate through the body of the March fly in the abdomen ( tummy), where they pupate.