common green bottle fly

(Lucilia sericata)

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

not listed

Minnesota

not listed

 
common green bottle fly
Photo by Alfredo Colon
 
Description

Common green bottle fly is a medium-sized blowfly. It occurs throughout the world on every continent except Greenland and Antarctica. It is common in Minnesota. It is found in a wide variety of habitats but prefers warm, moist places. It is common around farms, slaughterhouses, and garbage cans. This is often one of the first insects to visit a corpse, sometimes within minutes of death. Forensic scientists use the development of the larva of this species to determine the age of a corpse. Larvae are used on humans to painlessly remove dead or decaying tissue from wounds while leaving healthy tissue untouched and secreting a chemical that promotes tissue regeneration.

Adults are to ½ long, slightly larger than a house fly.

The thorax is metallic bluish-green, gold, or both. It is covered with numerous short, black, bristle-like hairs (setae), and several parallel rows of long black bristles. Three grooves across the thorax delineate the three thoracic sections. On the middle section (scutum), the two rows of bristles closest to the middle each have 3 bristles.

The abdomen is similar in color to the thorax.

The face is silvery. The eyes are red. The antennae are black. The mouthparts are yellowish.

The legs are black.

The wings are clear and have light brown veins.

 

Size

Total length: to ½

 

Similar Species

 
Habitat

Warm moist climates; common around farms, slaughterhouses, and garbage cans.

Biology

Season

Three or four generations per year. Early spring to late fall.

 

Behavior

 

 

Life Cycle

The female deposits a mass of up to 180 white or pale yellow eggs in carrion, dung, or garbage. Over the space of 3 weeks the female will lay a total of 2,000 to 3,000 eggs in 9 or 10 batches. The number and size of batches depends on the temperature. When the eggs hatch the maggots begin feeding on the material to which they are attached. They reach full size in 4 to 9 days, enter a pre-pupal stage, then burrow into the soil. In 7 to 115 days, depending on soil temperature, the adults emerge. Over the next 48 hours the body hardens and the wings become functional. Mating begins 3 to 8 days after emergence. Adults can travel many miles searching for carrion or another suitable breeding location.

In Minnesota there are 3 or 4 generations per year. The last generation overwinters in the soil as larva.

 

Larva Food

Partially decomposed animal tissue in dead fish and other animals, dung, and garbage containing animal matter. Live sheep.

 

Adult Food

Males usually feed on flower nectar; females also feed on animal tissue

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

7, 24, 29, 30, 82, 83.

9/1/2024    
     

Occurrence

Common and widespread

Taxonomy

Order

Diptera (flies)

Suborder

Brachycera

Infraorder

Cyclorrhapha

Zoosection

Schizophora

Zoosubsection

Calyptratae (calyptrate flies)

Superfamily

Oestroidea (bot flies, blow flies, and allies)

Family

Calliphoridae (blow flies)

Subfamily

Luciliinae

Tribe

Luciliini

Genus

Lucilia (greenbottle flies)

   

This species was formerly classified as Phaenicia sericata.

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

Lucilia barberi

Lucilia giraulti

Lucilia sayi

Musca sericata

Phaenicia sericata

   

Common Names

common European greenbottle fly

common green bottle fly

sheep blow fly (UK)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Scutum

The forward (anterior) portion of the middle segment of the thorax (mesonotum) in insects and some arachnids.

 

Seta

A usually rigid bristle- or hair-like outgrowth on butterflies and moths used to sense touch. Plural: setae.

 

 

 

 

 

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Bobbi Johnson

common green bottle fly

… from the garden

Alfredo Colon

common green bottle fly   common green bottle fly

Bill Reynolds

common green bottle fly
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
common green bottle fly   common green bottle fly

 

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Other Videos

Common green bottle fly (Phaenicia sericata, or Lucilia sericata)
The Nature Box

About

Published on Jul 26, 2014

You can use any of the free content on this channel for your projects. Please follow the license stated below.

Common green bottle fly (Phaenicia sericata), filmed in the U.K. on 25 July 2014.

Author: The Nature Box
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_green_bottle_fly_%28Phaenicia_sericata%29.webm

microscope video: Common green bottle fly / Goldfliege unter dem USB-Mikroskop
hobby-video-creator

About

Published on Aug 5, 2013

Close-up of a Common green bottle fly. Impressive is the coloration with a metallic look. ### Nahaufnahme von einer Goldfliege. Beeindruckend ist der grün-gold glänzende Körper.

Birth of Lucilia sericata (Padua - IT)
Marcello Consolo

About

Published on Feb 6, 2014

Nascita di una Lucilia sericata

 

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Visitor Sightings
 

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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
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Bobbi Johnson
August 2024

Location: Silver Bay, MN

… from the garden

common green bottle fly
Alfredo Colon
8/2/2022

Location: Albany, NY

common green bottle fly

J Williams
8/20/2020

Location: Otter Tail County Minnesota

 

Alfredo Colon
8/21/2019

Location: Woodbury, MN

common green bottle fly
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

 

 

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Created: 9/16/2014

Last Updated:

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