In Russia, the study of bloodsucking flies of the family Hippoboscidae Samouelle, 1819, which have important veterinary importance as carriers of various diseases, as well as ticks of the Epidermoptidae family and bird lice, continues.
To date, one of the largest genera of bloodsucking flies, the genus Ornithomya Latreille, 1802, includes 31 species. Its representatives inhabit mainly temperate latitudes of the Old World.
Scientists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS described a new species of bloodsucker fly Ornithomya helvipennis sp. n. from Irkutsk (Russia). In this species, microtrichia cover the entire wing membrane, as in the species O. comosa Austen, 1930. The new species differs from the closest O. comosa in the light wing membrane and amber-yellow microtrichia, and from the species O. greeni (Maa, 1986) - in the presence of ocelli.
It is proposed to create a “comosa” group within the genus Ornithomya Latreille, 1802 for the species O. comosa, O. greeni and O. helvipennis sp. n. These species have a common feature - microtrichia cover the entire wing membrane.
An updated key for species of the genus Ornithomya found in Russia is presented.
The article “Description of a new louse fly species of the genus Ornithomya Latreille, 1802 (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) from Irkutsk, Russia” is presented in the Caucasian Entomological Bulletin.