Calliphora vomitoria
| Calliphora vomitoria | |
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| Blue bottle fly | |
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| Species: | C. vomitoria
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| Calliphora vomitoria | |
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Calliphora rubrifrons Townsend | |
The blue bottle fly or bottlebee (Calliphora vomitoria) is a common blow-fly found in most areas of the world and is the type species for the genus Calliphora.[2]
Description
It is 10-14 mm long, slightly larger than a housefly. The head and thorax are dull gray and the abdomen is bright metallic blue with black markings. Its body and legs are covered with black bristle-like hair. The eyes are red and the wings are clear. The legs and antennae are black.
Life cycle
A female blue bottle fly lays her eggs where she feeds, usually in decaying meat, garbage, or feces. Pale whitish larvae, commonly called maggots, soon hatch from the eggs and immediately begin feeding on the decomposing matter where they were hatched. After a few days of feeding, they are fully grown. At that time they will crawl away to a dry place where they can burrow into soil or similar matter to pupate into tough brown coccoons. After two or three weeks, the adults emerge to mate, beginning the cycle again. During cold weather, pupae and adults can hibernate until warmer temperatures revive them.[citation needed] They have the ability to smell meat from distances of 7 kilometers away.[3]
They are pollinators of some flowers with a strong odor such as skunk cabbage and goldenrod.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Calliphora vomitoria". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 31 May.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - ^ a b Kurahshi, Hiromu (2007-05-28). "109. Family CALLIPHORIDAE" (HTML). Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog. Hawaii Biological Survey. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
- ^ "Weird Animals - Strange But True Facts" (HTML). Facts Archive. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
External links
Media related to Calliphora vomitoria at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Calliphora vomitoria at Wikispecies
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