Another dead blow fly - Lucilia - BugGuide.Net

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Photo#227539

Copyright © 2008 John F. Carr

Another dead blow fly - Lucilia

Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
September 21, 2008
Size: 7 mm

Within a few steps of where I saw a dead, fungus-ridden blow fly last month I saw three this afternoon. Here is one of them. Like the first it chose the end of a leaf to die.

Contributed by John F. Carr on 21 September, 2008 - 3:27pm
Last updated 17 September, 2009 - 6:31pm

Moved

Moved from Blow Flies. Lucilia sericata is the standard species in my area.

… John F. Carr, 17 September, 2009 - 6:31pm

Moved

Moved from Unidentified Fungus-ridden Flies. I'm moving identified images to their proper places as I add them to the fungus article.

… Charley Eiseman, 27 May, 2009 - 2:34pm

We don't think the fly really chooses.

It's our understanding that the fungus disables parts of the fly's brain, so that it has no choice but to crawl up till it gets to the end.

… john and jane balaban, 21 September, 2008 - 3:44pm

Down

This leaf was actually hanging down, but I get your point. Of the four fungus-ridden flies I saw this summer three were at the ends of leaves and one was in the middle of a stem.

… John F. Carr, 22 September, 2008 - 12:14pm

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