Blow-fly
Guides
Angioneura
Angioneura is a genus of blow flies in the family Calliphoridae, subfamily Melanomyinae. The genus was established by Brauer and Bergenstamm in 1893. Species in this genus are found in northern Europe, with records from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The genus is relatively poorly documented in public sources, with limited observational data available.
Bellardia bayeri
Bayer's Emerald-bottle
Bellardia bayeri is a species of blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, first described by Jacentkovský in 1937 under the basionym Onesia bayeri. It is commonly known as Bayer's Emerald-bottle. The species has been recorded in Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Denmark) and the United States. As a member of the Calliphoridae, it belongs to a family of flies known for their metallic coloration and ecological roles in decomposition.
Bellardia vulgaris
Pale-veined Emerald-bottle
Bellardia vulgaris is a species of blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, commonly known as the Pale-veined Emerald-bottle. It is a metallic green fly distributed across parts of Europe including Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. As a member of the Calliphoridae, it is likely associated with decomposing organic matter, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented in the provided sources.
Calliphora alaskensis
Calliphora alaskensis is a species of blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, first described by Shannon in 1923 with the basionym Steringomyia alaskensis. A subspecies, C. alaskensis echinosa, was described by Grunin in 1970 but is now considered a synonym. As a member of the genus Calliphora, it belongs to a group of flies commonly known as blue bottle flies that are significant in forensic entomology due to their role in decomposition.
Calliphora coloradensis
Calliphora coloradensis is a species of blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, first described by Hough in 1899. The genus Calliphora includes species commonly known as blue bottle flies, though the specific common name for this species is not documented. As a member of the blow fly family, it likely shares the general ecological traits of active decomposition and forensic importance characteristic of the group, though species-specific details remain sparse.
Calliphora livida
slow-flying and loud-buzzing blue bottle fly
Calliphora livida is a blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, commonly known as blue bottle flies. It is a medium-sized fly with a blue metallic sheen dulled by dense micromentum. The species is widespread across North America and is notable for its relatively delayed arrival on carrion compared to other blow flies, typically appearing approximately 24 hours after death. It prefers cooler, shaded environments with temperatures ranging from 4 to 15.6°C. The species holds significant forensic importance for post-mortem interval estimation, particularly during spring and colder months when other blow fly species may be less active.
Calliphora terraenovae
New World blue bottle fly
Calliphora terraenovae is a species of blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, commonly known as the New World blue bottle fly. It is native to North America and serves as an important decomposer in forensic entomology investigations. The species is closely related to other blue bottle flies in the genus Calliphora, including the widespread Palearctic species C. vicina, with which it shares ecological and morphological similarities.
Calliphora vicina
Blue Blowfly, Blue Bottle Fly
Calliphora vicina is a blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, commonly known as the blue bottle fly due to its metallic blue-gray coloration. It is one of the most important species in forensic entomology because of its predictable colonization patterns on carrion. The species is particularly significant for estimating post-mortem intervals, especially during cooler months when it remains active at temperatures below those tolerated by other blow flies.
Calliphora vomitoria
blue bottle fly, orange-bearded blue bottle, bottlebee
Calliphora vomitoria is a blow fly and the type species of the genus Calliphora. Adults are among the first colonizers of carrion, making them significant forensic indicators for estimating time of death. The species exhibits a distinctive metallic blue abdomen and orange setae on the gena. It has been extensively studied for its landing mechanics, with research on its inverted ceiling landings informing robotic drone design.
Chloroprocta
Chloroprocta is a genus of blow flies in the family Calliphoridae, subfamily Chrysomyinae. The genus was described by Wulp in 1896. Species in this genus are associated with carrion and decomposing organic matter. The genus contains relatively few described species and is primarily distributed in the Old World tropics and subtropics.
Chrysomya
Old World blow fly
Chrysomya is a genus of blow flies in the family Calliphoridae, native to the Old World. The genus is distinguished by metallic blue-green coloration, thick setae on the meron, and plumose arista. Several species have become forensically significant due to their predictable developmental rates and association with carrion, with some species recently expanding into North America.
Chrysomya rufifacies
hairy maggot blow fly, hairy maggot blowfly
Chrysomya rufifacies is a blow fly native to Australasia and Southeast Asia that has become established across the Americas, Africa, and parts of Europe through human-mediated dispersal. It is one of the most forensically significant insects due to its highly predictable developmental timing and tendency to colonize human remains within minutes of death. The species exhibits facultative predation on other carrion-feeding larvae, which can alter postmortem succession patterns and confound time-of-death estimates. Adults are medium-sized with metallic blue-green coloration; larvae are distinguished by prominent fleshy tubercles that give the species its common name.
Cochliomyia macellaria
secondary screwworm, secondary screwworm fly
Cochliomyia macellaria, the secondary screwworm, is a blow fly in the family Calliphoridae distributed throughout the Americas from southern Canada to Patagonia. The species is a specialist carrion colonizer whose larvae feed on necrotic tissue, distinguishing it from the primary screwworm (C. hominivorax) which attacks living tissue. Adults exhibit metallic blue-green coloration with orange-red eyes and head. The species holds significant forensic importance for postmortem interval estimation and has medical-veterinary relevance as a cause of secondary myiasis in livestock and humans.
Cynomya
dog-fly
Cynomya is a genus of blow flies (family Calliphoridae) commonly known as 'dog-flies' from the Ancient Greek κυνόμυια. Species in this genus are large, conspicuous flies of forensic interest, primarily distributed across the Palaearctic Region with some overlap in Alaska and the Russian Far East. The genus includes species such as C. mortuorum and C. cadaverina, which are associated with carrion and occasionally recorded as agents of myiasis. Unlike many calliphorids, Cynomya species are not strongly synanthropic and are rarely abundant in nature.
Cynomya cadaverina
Shiny Blue Bottle Fly
Cynomya cadaverina, commonly known as the shiny blue bottle fly, is a blow fly in the family Calliphoridae. Adults are medium-sized with distinctive metallic blue coloration and are attracted to carrion, particularly in advanced stages of decomposition. The species is considered forensically significant for estimating post-mortem intervals, as its predictable life cycle and cool-weather activity patterns provide temporal clues in death investigations. It is native to the Nearctic region, with highest abundance in southern Canada and the northern United States.
Lucilia bufonivora
toadfly
Lucilia bufonivora, commonly known as the toadfly, is a blow fly whose larvae are obligate parasitoids of amphibians. Adults feed on pollen and nectar. The species was historically considered Palearctic but is now established in North America, where it causes myiasis in anurans. Larvae typically enter through the nostrils of toads, eventually consuming eyes, brain, and other tissues, leading to host death.
Lucilia cluvia
Lucilia cluvia is a species of blow fly in the family Calliphoridae. It belongs to the genus Lucilia, commonly known as green bottle flies. Very little specific information has been documented about this particular species compared to better-studied congeners such as Lucilia sericata and Lucilia cuprina.
Lucilia coeruleiviridis
Blue-green Bottle Fly, Green Bottle Fly
Lucilia coeruleiviridis is one of the most common and ubiquitous blow fly species in the southeastern United States, with a range extending throughout the eastern US. This species is forensically important, frequently used for minimum postmortem interval (mPMI) estimation in death investigations. Larval development is strongly temperature-dependent, with optimal growth occurring at warm temperatures. The species was first described by French entomologist Justin Pierre Marie Macquart in 1855 and was formerly placed in the genus Phaenecia.
Lucilia cuprina
Australian sheep blowfly, bronze bottle fly
Lucilia cuprina, commonly known as the Australian sheep blowfly, is a member of the blow fly family Calliphoridae. It is a significant agricultural pest in sheep-rearing regions, causing the condition known as fly strike or myiasis. The species has been introduced to multiple continents through human commerce and is also utilized in forensic entomology for estimating postmortem intervals. Adults are characterized by their metallic green or greenish-blue abdomen with bronze or coppery reflections.
Lucilia eximia
green bottle fly
Lucilia eximia is a green bottle fly in the family Calliphoridae, distributed throughout the Neotropics from northern Mexico to southern South America. The species is a significant forensic indicator used to estimate minimum postmortem intervals, with well-documented intra-puparial development stages and thermal accumulation requirements. Laboratory studies indicate adults require both sugar and protein sources for optimal longevity, with water deprivation severely reducing survival. The species colonizes animal remains in urban environments exposed to sunlight.
Lucilia illustris
Illustrious Greenbottle Fly, green bottle fly
Lucilia illustris is a blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, commonly known as the Illustrious Greenbottle Fly. Adults are 6–9 mm in length with a metallic blue-green thorax that reflects bronze and purple. The species develops through three larval instars with distinct morphological characteristics at each stage. It is frequently used in forensic entomology due to its predictable development rate and preference for carrion in sunlit environments.
Lucilia mexicana
green bottle fly
Lucilia mexicana is a green bottle blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, first described by Pierre-Justin-Marie Macquart in 1843 or 1844. Adults measure 6–9 mm and exhibit metallic blue-green thoraxes with purple tints. The species is distributed from the southwestern United States through Mexico and Central America to Brazil, inhabiting wooded and urban environments. It holds potential forensic significance for determining postmortem intervals and stored-product contamination cases, though more research is needed for reliable application in criminal investigations.
Lucilia silvarum
common toad fly, Marsh Greenbottle Fly
Lucilia silvarum is a blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, first described by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1826. Adults are 4.5–10 mm with metallic green coloration and plumose aristae, making them difficult to distinguish from related green bottle flies. The species has a Holarctic distribution across North America and Europe. Recent research has clarified its ecological role: it is primarily saprophagous on carrion and was identified as a primary colonizer of domestic cats in experimental studies, contradicting earlier assumptions that it was strictly associated with amphibian myiasis.
Opsodexia
Opsodexia is a genus of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) described by Townsend in 1915. It is currently treated as a synonym of Melanomya (subgenus Opsodexia) within the subfamily Melanomyinae. The genus contains species associated with carrion and decomposition ecology. Very few observations exist in public databases, indicating either rarity or taxonomic obscurity.
Phormia
black blow fly
Phormia is a genus of blow flies in the family Calliphoridae. The genus contains a single species, Phormia regina, commonly known as the black blow fly. This species is native to North America and is among the most important insects in forensic entomology due to its predictable colonization of carrion and well-documented developmental rates. Adults are metallic blue or green in coloration and are distinguished by several morphological features including black gena, mostly white calypters, and orange-yellow anterior thoracic spiracles surrounded by bright orange setae.
Phormia regina
Black Blow Fly, Black Blowfly
Phormia regina, commonly known as the black blow fly, is a forensically important necrophagous species in the family Calliphoridae. It is widely distributed across the Holarctic region and is considered one of the most important forensic indicator species in the United States for estimating postmortem intervals. The species exhibits temperature-dependent development with a biological minimum between 10.0–12.5°C. Adults are attracted to decomposing tissue and carrion for oviposition. P. regina is primarily active during cooler seasons, earning it the designation of a "cold weather fly" that moves northward as temperatures increase.
Pollenia angustigena
Narrow-cheeked Clusterfly
Pollenia angustigena is a medium-sized cluster fly in the family Polleniidae, measuring 4.5–9.5 mm. Formerly classified in Calliphoridae, this species is now placed in Polleniidae based on morphological and molecular evidence. Adults display variable coloration with chequered abdominal dusting and distinctive golden crinkly thoracic hairs. The species is widely distributed in Britain and parts of continental Europe, with records from Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Portugal (Madeira). Adults are active from March to October, though they may be recorded year-round indoors during winter. Like other Pollenia species, adults feed on flower nectar and may contribute to pollination, while larvae are parasitoids or predators of earthworms.
Pollenia labialis
cluster fly
Pollenia labialis is a species of cluster fly in the family Polleniidae. It is one of several Pollenia species introduced to North America from Europe, likely arriving in the 1950s or 1960s. Like other cluster flies, it is associated with earthworms as larval hosts. The species is distinguished from congeners by microscopic characters including the number, position, and length of setae on various body parts. It is considered a nuisance pest when adults enter buildings to overwinter.
Pollenia rudis
common cluster fly, attic fly, loft fly, buckwheat fly
Pollenia rudis, the common cluster fly, is a medium-sized blow fly in the family Polleniidae. Adults are notable nuisance pests of buildings, overwintering in attics and wall voids in large aggregations during cold months. The species is an obligate parasite of earthworms in its larval stages, with well-documented host specificity to certain lumbricid species. Native to Europe, it has been introduced to North America and New Zealand, where it occurs wherever its earthworm hosts are present.
Pollenia vagabunda
cluster fly
Pollenia vagabunda is a cluster fly in the family Polleniidae, widespread across Europe and introduced to North America, where it was first recorded in 1958. Unlike carrion-associated blow flies, this species has a life cycle tied to earthworms and other hosts rather than decomposition. Adults are known to overwinter in buildings and have been documented on carrion, though not tied to specific decomposition stages. The species has also been recorded in Algeria and shows potential forensic relevance.
Protocalliphora occidentalis
Protocalliphora occidentalis is a species of blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, described by Whitworth in 2003. The genus Protocalliphora comprises parasitic flies whose larvae develop in bird nests, feeding on nestling blood. This species is part of a group commonly known as bird nest flies or nestling parasites.
Protophormia
Northern blow flies
Protophormia is a genus of blow flies (Calliphoridae) containing two recognized species: P. atriceps and P. terraenovae. These flies are distributed across Eurasia and Northern America. The genus has been extensively studied in laboratory settings for circadian rhythms, photoperiodism, and reproductive physiology, particularly in P. terraenovae.