Biology:Avian vampire fly

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Short description: Species of fly

Avian vampire fly
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Muscidae
Genus: Philornis
Species:
P. downsi
Binomial name
Philornis downsi
Dodge & Aitken, 1968[1]
Synonyms
  • Neomusca downsi Dodge & Aitken, 1968[1]

The avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi) is a species of parasitic fly. Although adult avian vampire flies are vegetarian, their larvae survive by parasitising birds in the nest. The species was accidentally introduced to the Galápagos Islands, where it has become a major cause of breeding mortality in Darwin's finches.

Taxonomy

The avian vampire fly is one of about 50 species in the genus Philornis, of which all but two are obligate parasites of nestling birds.[2] It is the best studied in the genus, given the conservation threat it poses to Galápagos landbirds.[2]

Life cycle

The adult avian vampire fly is free-living and vegetarian, feeding on decaying vegetation.[3] Female flies lay their eggs inside bird nests, with the larvae hatching three days later.[2][4] These fly larvae are parasitic, feeding both internally and externally on the blood and flesh of developing nestlings, and sometimes on the incubating adult birds.[4] First-instar larvae live inside the nares of nestlings, while second- and third-instar larvae remain inside the nest material and emerge at night to feed on nestlings.[2] Avian vampire flies complete their larval stages within 4–7 days[upper-alpha 1] and spend another 9–10 days as pupae.[2]

Conservation concerns

Avian vampire fly larvae were first reported in Darwin's finch nests on Santa Cruz Island in 1997,[6] although the species was present on the Galápagos Islands as early as the 1960s.[7]

The fly's parasitic larvae cause significant mortality in Darwin's finch nestlings and threaten the survival of some rarer species such as the mangrove finch (Camarhynchus heliobates) and medium tree finch (C. pauper).[8][9][10][11] Exposure to avian vampire fly parasitism enlarges the nares of nestlings.[12] Even offspring that successfully fledge may suffer fitness consequences from early-life parasitism, as their damaged beaks are less able to produce high-quality species-specific songs.[13]

To protect the threatened finch populations, insecticide-laced cotton has been supplied as nesting material for the finches, with the results being highly successful in combating P. downsi infestations at a localized scale.[14][15][16] Currently, biological pest control agents, including Conura annulifera, are being investigated for their potential safety and efficacy in controlling P. downsi on the Galapagos Islands.[17]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ In laboratory conditions, this typically takes 9–10 days.[5]

Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dodge, H. Rodney; Aitken, Thomas H. G. (1968). "Philornis Flies from Trinidad (Diptera: Muscidae)". Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society (Kansas (Central States) Entomological Society) 41 (1): 134–154. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 McNew, Sabrina M.; Clayton, Dale H. (2018-01-07). "Alien Invasion: Biology of Philornis Flies Highlighting Philornis downsi, an Introduced Parasite of Galápagos Birds" (in en). Annual Review of Entomology 63: 369–387. doi:10.1146/annurev-ento-020117-043103. ISSN 0066-4170. https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-ento-020117-043103. 
  3. ↑ Common, Lauren K.; Dudaniec, Rachael Y.; Colombelli-Négrel, Diane; Kleindorfer, Sonia (2020-09-23), Sarwar, Muhammad, ed., "Taxonomic Shifts in Philornis Larval Behaviour and Rapid Changes in Philornis downsi Dodge & Aitken (Diptera: Muscidae): An Invasive Avian Parasite on the Galápagos Islands" (in en), Life Cycle and Development of Diptera (IntechOpen), doi:10.5772/intechopen.88854, ISBN 978-1-83880-225-7, https://www.intechopen.com/books/life-cycle-and-development-of-diptera/taxonomic-shifts-in-em-philornis-em-larval-behaviour-and-rapid-changes-in-em-philornis-downsi-em-dod, retrieved 2026-04-23 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 O'Connor JA, Dudaniec RY, Kleindorfer S (2010) Parasite infestation in Galapagos birds: contrasting two elevational habitats between islands. Journal of Tropical Ecology. 26: 285-292. doi:10.1017/S0266467409990678
  5. ↑ Lahuatte, Paola F.; Lincango, M. P.; Heimpel, G. E.; Causton, C. E. (2016). "Rearing Larvae of the Avian Nest Parasite, Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae), on Chicken Blood-Based Diets" (in en). Journal of Insect Science 16 (1): 84. doi:10.1093/jisesa/iew064. ISSN 1536-2442. PMID 27493240. PMC 4973507. https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/jisesa/iew064. 
  6. ↑ Fessl, Birgit; Tebbich, Sabine (2002-06-20). "Philornis downsi – a recently discovered parasite on the Galápagos archipelago – a threat for Darwin's finches?" (in en). Ibis 144 (3): 445–451. doi:10.1046/j.1474-919X.2002.00076.x. ISSN 0019-1019. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1474-919X.2002.00076.x. 
  7. ↑ Kleindorfer, Sonia; Dudaniec, Rachael Y. (2016-08-23). "Host-parasite ecology, behavior and genetics: a review of the introduced fly parasite Philornis downsi and its Darwin's finch hosts" (in en). BMC Zoology 1 (1). doi:10.1186/s40850-016-0003-9. ISSN 2056-3132. Bibcode: 2016BMCZ....1....1K. https://bmczool.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40850-016-0003-9. 
  8. ↑ O'Connor JA, Sulloway FJ, Robertson J, Kleindorfer S (2010) Philornis downsi parasitism is the primary cause of nestling mortality in the critically endangered Darwin's medium tree finch (Camarhynchus pauper). Biodiversity and Conservation. 19:853-866. doi:10.1007/s10531-009-9740-1
  9. ↑ Dudaniec, R. Y.; Gardner, M. G.; Donnellan, S.; Kleindorfer, S. (2008). "Genetic variation in the invasive avian parasite, Philornis downsi (Diptera, Muscidae) on the Galápagos archipelago.". BMC Ecology 8 (1): 13. doi:10.1186/1472-6785-8-13. PMID 18671861. Bibcode: 2008BMCE....8...13D. 
  10. ↑ Dudaniec, R. Y.; Hallas, G.; Kleindorfer, S. (2005). "Blood and intestinal parasitism in Darwin's finches: negative and positive findings". Acta Zoologica Sinica 51: 507–512. 
  11. ↑ Dudaniec, R. Y.; Kleindorfer (2006). "The effects of the parasitic flies Philornis (Diptera, Muscidae) on birds.". Emu 106: 13–20. doi:10.1071/mu04040. 
  12. ↑ Katsis, Andrew C; Colombelli-Négrel, Diane; Common, Lauren K; O’connor, Jody A; Dudaniec, Rachael Y; García-Loor, Jefferson; Kleindorfer, Sonia (2021-10-22). "Nestling behaviour predicts naris deformation in Darwin's finches parasitized by the avian vampire fly" (in en). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 134 (3): 636–649. doi:10.1093/biolinnean/blab092. ISSN 0024-4066. https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article/134/3/636/6332654. 
  13. ↑ Kleindorfer, Sonia; Custance, Georgina; Peters, Katharina J.; Sulloway, Frank J. (2019-06-12). "Introduced parasite changes host phenotype, mating signal and hybridization risk: Philornis downsi effects on Darwin's finch song" (in en). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 286 (1904). doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.0461. ISSN 0962-8452. PMID 31185871. 
  14. ↑ Knutie, Sarah A.; McNew, Sabrina M.; Bartlow, Andrew W.; Vargas, Daniela A.; Clayton, Dale H. (2014-05-05). "Darwin's finches combat introduced nest parasites with fumigated cotton" (in en). Current Biology 24 (9): R355–R356. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.058. PMID 24801182. Bibcode: 2014CBio...24.R355K. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0960982214003509. 
  15. ↑ Kofler, Barbara; Mauchamp-Fessl, Merlin; Poveda-Pazmiño, Cristian; Causton, Charlotte E.; Tebbich, Sabine; Fessl, Birgit (2025-11-24). "Innovations in invasive parasite control: enhancing nest treatment techniques to combat the threat of the avian vampire fly Philornis downsi in Galapagos" (in English). Frontiers in Conservation Science 6. doi:10.3389/fcosc.2025.1591266. ISSN 2673-611X. PMID 41503583. Bibcode: 2025FrCS....691266K. 
  16. ↑ Common, Lauren K.; Kleindorfer, Sonia; Katsis, Andrew C.; Morales, Katherine Albán; Quirola, Dominique M. E.; Fessl, Birgit (2025-12-10). "From dispenser to nest: collection of fumigated material repels parasites across behavioural traits in Darwin's finches" (in en). BMC Zoology 10 (1): 27. doi:10.1186/s40850-025-00250-2. ISSN 2056-3132. PMID 41373038. 
  17. ↑ Bulgarella, Mariana; Quiroga, Martín A.; Boulton, Rebecca A.; Ramírez, Ismael E.; Moon, Roger D.; Causton, Charlotte E.; Heimpel, George E. (17 February 2017). "Life Cycle and Host Specificity of the Parasitoid Conura annulifera (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae), a Potential Biological Control Agent of Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae) in the Galápagos Islands". Annals of the Entomological Society of America 110 (3): 317–328. doi:10.1093/aesa/saw102. ISSN 0013-8746. 

Global Invasive Species Database: Philornis downsi

Wikidata ☰ Q7186155 entry



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