Green-bottle-fly
Guides
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 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.