Diversity assessment and the effect of temperature and humidity on the relative abundance of medically important fly species in Fouladshahr, Isfahan, 2019

Introduction: Flies are able to mechanically transmit many pathogenic agents due to their close relationship with humans. Identification and species determination of flies for understanding of their current status and planning for their control, as well as considering the important role of flies in the ecosystem and their biological functions in biological studies, is essential. The purpose of this study is to investigate the species diversity and relative abundance of medically important flies in Fouladshahr, Isfahan. method: This study is a descriptive analytical that sampling was done bimonthly for one year, from April to March 2018 in selected stations in Fouladshahr city. Adult flies were collected using insect nets and inverted cone plastic bottle traps. Collected flies were taken to the laboratory, mounted and were identified using a valid diagnosis key. Results: In this study, 6030 flies from three families, Musidae, Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae, were caught. The highest number of flies belonged to the species Musca domestica (72%) and Sarcophaga aegypti (0.08%) had the lowest frequency. The highest abundance of flies was in the month of July and the lowest amount was respectively in the months of January and February in Fouladshahr city. Correlation results showed that with the decrease in humidity, the population of flies increases (P˂0.004) and with the increase in temperature, the abundance of flies increases (P˂0.0001). Conclusion: Considering the abundance of flies and their health importance in the study area, it seems necessary to adopt appropriate methods to manage resources and use existing capacities to control the population of flies in the study area.