Blue bottle fly

Blue bottle fly
"Blue bottle fly" is also a common name for the species Protophormia terraenovae.
Blue bottle fly
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Calliphoridae
Genus: Calliphora
Species: C. vomitoria
Binomial name
Calliphora vomitoria
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms [1][2]

Calliphora rubrifrons Townsend
Musca obscoena Eschscholz
Musca vomitoria Linnaeus

The blue bottle fly or bottlebee (Calliphora vomitoria) is a common blow-fly found in most areas of the world and is the type species for the genus Calliphora.[2]

Contents

Description

It is 10–14 millimetres (0.4–0.6 in) long, slightly larger than a housefly. The head and thorax are dull gray and the abdomen is bright metallic blue with black markings. Its body and legs are covered with black bristle-like hair. The eyes are red and the wings are clear. The legs and antennae are black and pink. The chest is bright purple and has spikes to protect themselves against other flies. These insects like to fly in packs in order to detect possible prey more efficiently. If one fly detects food, it will disperse a pheromone which will alert the others to the meal.

Portrait

Life cycle

A female blue bottle fly lays her eggs where she feeds, usually in decaying meat, garbage, or feces. Pale whitish larvae, commonly called maggots, soon hatch from the eggs and immediately begin feeding on the decomposing matter where they were hatched. After a few days of feeding, they are fully grown. At that time they will crawl away to a dry place where they can burrow into soil or similar matter to pupate into tough brown cocoons. After two or three weeks, the adults emerge to mate, beginning the cycle again. During cold weather, pupae and adults can hibernate until higher temperatures revive them.[citation needed]

They are pollinators of some flowers with a strong odor such as skunk cabbage and goldenrod.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "Calliphora vomitoria". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=151559. Retrieved 31 May 2008. 
  2. ^ a b Kurahshi, Hiromu (May 28, 2007). "109. Family CALLIPHORIDAE". Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog. Hawaii Biological Survey. http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/calliphoridae.html. Retrieved May 31, 2008. 

External links

Media related to Calliphora vomitoria at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Calliphora vomitoria at Wikispecies


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