Red-tailed flesh fly

Description

Flesh flies are often the first or one of the first insects to visit a corpse. This makes them useful in determining the amount of time that has elapsed since a person has died. Red-tailed flesh fly is a small to medium-sized flesh fly.

Red-tailed flesh fly probably originated in Africa. It is believed to have spread widely due to the activities of humans. It is now cosmopolitan, occurring worldwide, wherever there are human populations.

Adults are 5 ⁄16″ to 9 ⁄16″ (8 to 14 mm) long. They resemble the house fly but are slightly larger. The female is slightly larger than the male.

The large compound eyes are dark red and face forward. There is a large bristle (arista) on the third segment of the antenna. The arista is long and is feathery only at the base. The mouthparts are designed for lapping liquid.

The thorax is ashy gray with three blackish longitudinal stripes. It is not metallic. There are 4 bristles on the notopleuron (a region on the thorax), and a row of bristles on each side of the thorax just above the base of the hind leg. The abdomen is gray with black markings in a checkered pattern. On the male the external genitalia at the end of the abdomen are reddish-brown.

The legs are black.

The wings are clear and have brown veins. The lobes at the base of the wing (calypter) is well developed. The R5 cell is narrowed or closed at the end (distally).

Size

Total length: 5 ⁄16″ to 9 ⁄16″ (8 to 14 mm)

Similar Species

Habitat

Anywhere human or animal dung or carrion is found

Ecology

Season

Summer

Behavior

Adults begin copulating 2 to 9 days after emerging. The female carries the eggs in her body 9 to 13 days or more. The eggs hatch while still inside her body. She then deposits the 40 to 80 first instar larvae in carrion or dung. The larvae complete three instars, usually in 3 or 4 days, before pupating. In colder temperatures it may take up to 9 days. The pupal stage lasts about 16 days. Development from first instar to adult usually takes about 23 days but is greatly affected by temperature.

Life Cycle

Larva Food/Hosts

Carrion or dung.

Adult Food

Human and animal dung.