Clogmia+albipunctata

‘Bathroom fly’  //Clogmia albipunctata// (Williston, 1893) **Figure 1.** //Clogmia albipunctata//. Photo by Keith Ruebeling and licensed under [|Creative Commons] toc =** 1. **** Overview **= ** Fun fact #1: ** This species is also known as moth fly. Upon closer look, it does resemble a moth!  **Figure 2.** Comparison of moth fly (left) and a moth (right). Left photo by Poulin's Pest Control (permission pending). Right photo by Ashley Bradford licensed under Creative Commons License.

The bathroom fly (//Clogmia albipunctata//) (Williston, 1893) also commonly known as the drain fly, filter fly or sewage fly is most commonly found in under used bathrooms all over the world. Just like other urban flies, the bathroom fly is considered a nuisance and may cause certain health problems.

=** 2. **** Pest control **=  **Fun fact #2: ** Caffeine causes high death rate in bathroom fly and disrupts the development of their brain and sex organs. Good news for coffee lovers!

 If you have been away on vacation or haven’t used a bathroom in while, you may get freaked out when you see a swarm of tiny flies on your bathroom walls. They are likely to be bathroom flies if,  Learn how to get rid of bathroom flies by watching the video below!
 * they are grey in colour,
 * they have a very small, hairy body slightly smaller than a grain of rice,
 * they are bad at flying, appearing to be hopping instead.

media type="youtube" key="U4VXeH9pOIs" width="560" height="315" **Video 1.** Drain Fly Control and Treatment by Do It Yourself Pest Control. Obtained from YouTube under [|fair use].  Usually, a bathroom fly problem will go away on its own once you start to use the bathroom frequently. After removing the drain flies that you see, be it drowning them or swatting them, start flushing toilets and running water in your sinks. This removes stagnant water where their larvae lives.

**Figure 3.** Pipe brush for sewer cleaning. Photo from AliExpress.com under fair use.  To prevent future infestations: Step-by-step guides on removing bathroom flies are found [|here] and [|here].
 * Clear the sludge that have accumulated in the sewer regularly. This removes the feeding and breeding site.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Make sure that there are no stagnant water and keep the bathroom as dry as possible.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> However, because of their size, these flies can easily pass through the drainage covers, small cracks and openings and land on your bathroom. If your drain fly problem persists for more than two weeks, this may be due to a breeding site outside of your home. In that case, seek the help of professional pest controllers.

**2.1 Human Health**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Fun fact #3: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Hairs of bathroom flies are different from ours! They help the fly sense the environment and resists water.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Bathroom flies have been known to be opportunistic agents of [|myiasis], a condition where the larvae develop inside the bodies of mammals. They can enter the human body via the urinary, nasal and intestinal tract   .<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> However, these cases are rare as bathroom flies do not have a preference or need to develop in a host. Usually, myiasis is caused by accidental ingestions of eggs or early-stage larvae in contaminated food.

**Figure 4.** Hairs on wing of //Clogmia albipunctata//. Photo by [|W.P. Armstrong], Palomar College.edu. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> When the hairs of these flies are inhaled due to over-infestations indoors, respiratory problems may occur. Also, hairs on the bathroom flies increases its surface area and may be contaminated with bacteria when they move through the sewage, which can infect humans upon contact.

=** 3. **** Natural History and Biology **= <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Watch the video below for an interesting description of the bathroom fly by a YouTube user. media type="youtube" key="3VsyroGlnjI" width="560" height="315" **Video 2.** Description of bathroom flies by Eric Hufschmid. Obtained from YouTube under [|fair use].

**3.1 Habitat**
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The natural habitat of bathroom fly is in mangroves where the larvae can thrive on aquatic, semi-aquatic habitats, decaying matter and many microhabitats of the forest floor. With rapid urbanisation throughout the world, urban habitats similar to mangroves forests floor such as sewage systems provide opportunities for them to thrive in.

**3.2 Global Distribution**
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This species is originally distributed in the tropics but is widespread throughout the world  <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, due to export of contaminated fruits and vegetables in the 1990s.

**Figure 5.** Map of the world indicating where specimens of //Clogmia albipunctata// are stored (Global Biodiversity Information Facility, 2017). Disclaimer: This map only shows where the specimens are stored. Global distribution is probably much more widespread. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Singapore being a city with high rise buildings and vast sewage systems is an ideal habitat for the bathroom fly. They are commonly found in public toilets of MRT and petrol stations.

**3.4. Life Cycle**
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Fun fact #4: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> Adult flies survived for about 12 days and therefore you may want to contact a professional if your bathroom fly problem persists for more than 2 weeks. Not so fun after all!

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Before mating, the female needs to be impressed by the dance moves of the male. Watch the video to learn some impressive dance moves!

media type="youtube" key="TObTTcYYyEg" width="560" height="315" **Video 3.** Mating behaviour of bathroom flies by Roger Pratt. Obtained from YouTube under [|fair use]. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> As with other flies, bathroom flies undergo complete metamorphosis with egg, larval, pupal and adult stages. The life cycle starts when female lay eggs in moist organic matter and ends at the adult stage. Eggs hatch in about 3 days. Larvae are divided into 4 stages and last for about 18 days before pupation. Adults emerge about 5 days after pupation, mates immediately and lay eggs about 3 days later. A total of about 27 days is required for the life cycle to complete. Depending on conditions such as temperature and humidity, the time taken for the life cycle to complete may vary.

**Figure 6.** Life cycle of //Clogmia albipunctata// adapted from Jiménez-Guri //et al.//, 2014//.//

**3.5. Diet**
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just like typical flies, the bathroom flies feed on different food sources at different stages. Larvae feed on a bacterial slime of decaying organic matter often built up in the plumbing of drains. This may be beneficial to prevent clogging of pipes and drains. Alternatively, the larvae can feed on piles of wet leaves of other organic materials. Pupae do not feed. Adults feed on nectar and other liquid sugars which means they do not bite humans for food nor require blood for producing eggs.

=** 4. Taxonomy and Systematics **=

**4.1. Classification**
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> **<span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Learning time!: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Classifying living things is important for the understanding and scientific study of life. Living things are classified based on similar characteristics that are shared among one another. For more information on how living things are classified, click [|here].

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Class: [|Insecta]

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Order: [|Diptera]

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Suborder: [|Nematocera]

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Family: [|Psychodidae]

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Subfamily: [|Psychodinae]

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Genus: [|//Clogmia// Enderlein, 1937]

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The above classification is adapted from the [|Universal Protein Resource (UniProt)].

** 4.2. Synonyms **
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">** Learning time!: ** Have you ever wondered how a species is name? Naming a species is a complicated business and scientists have created a code dedicated for this. Just like how laws are passed to determine what are lawful conducts or misconducts in a country, [|International Code of Zoological Nomenclature] determines the correct way that a species should be named.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “I am known by many names, but you may call me...Tim.” <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> ― Graham Chapman from Monty Python and the Holy Grail

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Many synonyms are attributed to this species due to the complexity of the taxonomic history of its family Psychodidae [2] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. The genus //Clogmia// was considered to be synonym for //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Telmatoscopus // <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">for a long time while many other independent descriptions of this species resulted to many less common synonyms [2] <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Psychoda albipunctata// (Williston, 1893) (Original description) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Telmatoscopus meridionalis// (Eaton, 1894) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Psychoda snowii// (Haseman, 1907) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Psychoda albonigra// (Brunetti, 1908) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Telmatoscopus albipunctatus// (Tonnoir, 1921) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Psychoda erecta// (Curran, 1926) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Clogmia albipunctata //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Enderlain, 1937) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Telmatoscopus albipunctatus// (Vaillant, 1972)

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">While most medical literature still refer to this species as //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Telmatoscopus albipunctatus, //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">//Clogmia albipunctata// is considered the valid name by most taxonomists.

** 4.3. Type Information **
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">** Learning time!: ** A type species may not be representative of the genus. Just like how apple does not represent fruits, bathroom fly does not represent the genus //Clogmia//. To learn more about how a type species is designated, visit the [|International Code of Zoological Nomenclature website].

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Type locality: Havana, Cuba <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Kind of type: Lectotype <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Depository of type: National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., United States of America

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Psychoda albipunctata// <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Williston, 1893, now regarded as a synonym of //Clogmia albipunctata,// <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is the type species for the genus //Clogmia// [3].

** 4.4. Phylogeny **
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> **<span style="color: #0500ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Learning time!: ** Scientists learn how species are related to one another by creating phylogenies. Just like how you and your cousin is related based on common ancestry (grandparents), all life forms are related to one another evolutionarily based on common ancestry. Click [|here] to watch a video explanation of the tree of life by David Attenborough.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The bathroom fly belongs to the family Psychodidae and the phylogenetic relationships of this family is controversial as different studies have established different phylogenies for this family.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">A recent study conducted by Jiménez-Guri //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">et al. //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> suggests that Psychodomorpha (taxon that includes Psychodidae) is sister group to Branchycera and thus, not a sister group with Neodiptera. This is in contrast with a previous study conducted by Wiegmann //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">et al. //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> which concluded that Psychodidae is a sister group to Neodiptera and this divergence happened around 250 million years ago <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">By comparing the methods of both study, we can safely conclude that the phylogeny established by Jiménez-Guri //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">et al. // may be more accurate because more data were considered when establishing the character matrix and nuclear genes were used. The study conducted by <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Jiménez-Guri //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">et al. //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> uses a more advanced method (phylome reconstruction, where whole genomes of species are used as the seed<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">) which, in this case, compares 160 genes that were further analysed using maximum likelihood (bootstrap support = 91%)<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">. On the other hand, Wiegmann //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">et al. // used a <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> nucleotide set consisting of 12 nuclear protein-coding genes, 18S and 28S ribosomal DNA, and complete mitochondrial genomes (bootstrap support = 95%). Even though the bootstrap support is higher, the relatively fewer characters being considered in Wiegmann //et// //al.// study as compared to Jiménez-Guri //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">et al. //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">calls for doubt on the phylogeny created (imagine comparing your relationship with a stranger using the character eye colour only as compared to more characters being used, which will be more accurate?). **Figure 7.** Phylogeny of Diptera. Psychodidae is labeled in red arrow. Edited from Wiegmann //et al.//, 2011. **Figure 8.** Phylogeny of Diptera based on comparison amongst 21 species. //Clogmia albipunctata// is boxed in red. Edited from Jiménez-Guri //et al.//, 2013.