House Fly Wing Under the Microscope
House Fly Wing (Whole Mount), Musca domestica
This is a house fly wing mounted whole and unstained. Flies have only one pair of wings, and the vein pattern of this wing is a classic example used in insect identification.
This is a whole mount of a house fly (Musca domestica) wing. The wing is a thin, clear membrane held up by a network of brown veins, which act like a frame and carry fluid through the wing. One long vein bends sharply forward near the tip, a feature that helps identify house flies. Stiff bristles line the front edge, and tiny hairs cover the whole surface. House flies have only one pair of wings, while most other insects have two, so this vein pattern is worth comparing with other insect wings.
What to look for
- Wing membrane: The clear sheet of the wing.
- Longitudinal veins: Long veins running from the base toward the tip.
- Bent vein: In house flies, one of the main veins bends sharply forward near the wing tip.
- Cross veins: A few short veins connecting the long veins.
- Microtrichia: Tiny hairs covering the membrane, visible at high power.
Questions and answers
How many wings does a house fly have?
A house fly has one pair of wings. The second pair has become small knob-like structures called halteres, which help the fly balance in flight.
What does a house fly wing look like under a microscope?
A house fly wing is a clear membrane with a simple set of veins and tiny hairs covering the surface. One main vein bends sharply forward near the tip, a feature used to recognize house flies.
- Category
- Invertebrates
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Unstained
Viewing this slide in class
This is a scan of a real prepared slide, not a simulation or a drawing. On StudyScope you can pan from the whole slide down to individual structures, always in focus, and measure them in real micrometers with the calibrated ruler. Present it live and every student screen follows your view and annotations. Students join with a room code on Chromebooks, iPads, or any browser, with no accounts.