Synanthropic flies of Asir Province, southwest of Saudi Arabia

A survey of synanthropic flies was carried out in 11 slaughter houses in 8 localities representing different altitudes in Asir. Flies were sampled twice a month from December 2008 to November 2009 by Final Flight Fly Traps. A total of 11,737 flies consisting of 19 species, belonging to 7 families were collected, of which those of family Muscidae predominated (94.88%) followed by Calliphoridae (3.12%), Sarcophagidae (1.22%) and Fanniidae (0.55%). The other 5 families (Piophilidae, Oestridae, Phoridae, Ulidiidae and Lonchaeidae) totally represented 0.79%. Of the identified species, Musca domestica was predominant (94.26%) followed by Lucilia sericata (1.51%), Sarcophaga carnaria (1.01%), Chrysomya albiceps (0.67%), Fannia canicularis (0.55%), Chrysomya marginalis (0.54%), Muscina stabulans (0.52%), Calliphora vicina (0.39%), Wohlfahrtia nuba (0.14%), Megaselia scalaris (0.08%), Lonchaea sp. (0.06), Bercaea cruentata (0.05), Ophyra sp. and Oestrus ovis (0.04% each), Atherigona sp., Piophila casie and Physiphora demandala (0.03% each) and Parasarcophaga ruficornis (0.01). Flies altogether were more common (16 spp., 84.21%) and abundant (36.45 fly/trap) in highlands than in the other altitude levels. The highlands were found with the maximum Simpson (1-D=0.18) and Shannon (H=0.49, P