Blowfly - Family Calliphoridae
This page contains pictures and information about Blowflies that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 8mm
- Most of the flies in this family are metallic green or blue colour. Others are mixtures of brown and and dark grey. They are medium to large in size. There are the bristles on the both sides of their thorax and abdomen tip.
- Adult Blowfly feeds on nectar, honey dew and other sweet liquid, or liquid products of organic decomposition. Most Blowfly adults active during day time.
- Blowfly larvae usually live in carrion or dung, which help for decomposition. Some species are parasitic on earthworms or land snails. Some live in termites or ants nest.
- Eastern Golden Haired Blowfly
- Calliphora stygia, subfamily Calliphorinae, body length 12mm
- The fly is large in size, with hairy body, blue
thorax and golden brown abdomen. The fly is one of the earliest flies to visit
a corpse. Their larvae mainly breed in carrion.
- The Australian sheep blowfly
- Lucilia cuprina, subfamily Calliphorinae, body length 8mm
- The Blowfly feeds on nectar. It is the major pest species in sheep farming. Their larvae breed mostly on living sheep and corpse. The fly is one of the first flies to lay its eggs in a corpse.
- Green Hairy Maggot Blowfly
- Chrysomya rufifacies, subfamily Chrysomyinae, body length 8mm
- The fly is medium in size with metallic green body, with a distinct blue hue when viewed under bright sunlit conditions. It has the board and round abdomen. Their larvae are predaceous, feeding on the larvae of earlier-arriving flies. Females do not lay their eggs in a corpse until the body is partially decomposed and maggots are available as prey.
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- Snail Parasite Blowfly
- Amenia sp., subfamily Ameniinae, body length 15mm
- This large Blowfly is metallic dark blue-green in colour with the bright orange colour face. On the thorax and abdomen there are the shiny white spots patterns. Different individuals may have slightly different patterns. This fly is nectar feeder and assist the flower plants for pollination.
- Pictures are taken in Alexandra Hill during mid summer. We found them in the forest near the creek. They usually rest on tree trunk heading downwards, about a meter from ground. It seemed that they are waiting or looking for something. It is known that their larvae are parasites of land snails.
- Unknown Blow Fly
- ? sp., body length 8mm
- Picture taken in Alexandra Park near the creek during early summer.
