Photo: Appearance of the fly. A - Top view. B - Bottom view. C - Wing.
Blood-sucking flies of the Hippoboscidae family currently number about 213 species and are vectors of diseases of birds and mammals. The genus of parasites of birds Ornithomya Latreille, 1802 is quite extensive - it includes 33 species. These flies mainly live in the middle latitudes of the Old World, but 9 species are known from Africa. Unfortunately, not all species are described in detail. Some important features were not taken into account before this work.
A new specimen of Ornithomya cecropis Hutson, 1971 (Diptera, Hippoboscidae) was collected in South Africa. The description of this species was supplemented with new morphological data that are used in modern identification keys: length of the head and thorax taken together, wing length, ratio of costal vein segments, coloration of the ventral side of the head and thorax, etc. An updated key for all known species of the genus Ornithomya from the Afrotropical region is provided.
Link to article: Yatsuk, A.A., Nartshuk, E.P., Markovets, M.Y. et al. New Record of the Louse Fly Ornithomya cecropis Hutson, 1971 with an Amended Description (Diptera, Hippoboscidae). Entomological Review. 104, 567–571.