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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Calyptratae » Oestroidea » Blow Flies (Calliphoridae)

Family Calliphoridae - Blow Flies

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Habitat · Food · Remarks · Works Cited

7 mm blow fly - Bellardia vulgaris - female

bluish fly on path in Vargas Plateau Regional Park on 2021 April 23 - Calliphora

Vail metallic green fly - Chrysomya rufifacies

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon (Calyptratae)

Superfamily Oestroidea

Family Calliphoridae (Blow Flies)

Other Common Names

Bluebottle and Greenbottle Flies

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

para- or polyphyletic(1)

Explanation of Names

Calliphoridae Brauer & Bergenstamm 1889

see Calliphora

Blow-flies get this common name from the cause of serious loss to sheep owners in some places by "blowing" the wool.

Numbers

84 spp. in 17 genera of 5 subfamilies in our area(2), >1,500 spp. in ~100 genera worldwide(1)

Identification

keys to NA genera and species in (3)(2)

keys to eastern genera and most species in(4)

key to KY spp. in(5)

Habitat

very common in a wide variety of habitats, including heavily urbanized areas

Food

scavengers (larvae in carrion, excrement, etc.) or parasites(6)

Remarks

Commonly seen "basking" on the exterior walls of buildings (flesh flies also have this habit). Some cause myiasis in humans and livestock.(6)

Works Cited

1.	Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification... Pape T., Blagoderov V., Mostovski M.B. 2011. Zootaxa 3148: 222–229.

2.	Keys to the genera and species of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of America north of Mexico Whitworth T.L. 2006. Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 108: 689–725.

3.	Blow flies of North America: Keys to the subfamilies and genera of Calliphoridae, and to the species of the subfamilies... Jones N., Whitworth T., Marshall S.A. 2019. CJAI 39: 1‒191.

4.	Blow flies (Diptera;Calliphoridae) of eastern Canada with a key to Calliphoridae subfamilies and genera of eastern North America Marshall S.A., Whitworth T., Roscoe L. 2011. Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification 11: 1-93.

5.	Identification Key to the Common Forensically Important Adult Flies (Diptera) of Northern Kentucky

6.	Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects Norman F. Johnson, Charles A. Triplehorn. 2004. Brooks Cole.

Contributed by john and jane balaban on 19 September, 2004 - 2:03pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Bug Eric, John VanDyk, Beatriz Moisset, anitagould, Bbarnd, kschnei, v belov, Arturo Santos
Last updated 11 September, 2024 - 1:03am

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