Common greenbottle fly (Lucilia sericata)

Common greenbottle fly (Lucilia sericata) is an animal species in the Calliphoridae, arboreal insect, 10-14 mm long, brilliant color with metallic turquoise or golden blue with black markings, has short black fur and three grooves on the back and is commonly used in forensic entomology.

L. sericata has clear, transparent wings with light brown veins, black legs and antennae. Adults have three hairs on the dorsal mesothorax in the middle of the back of the fly. The body is blackish blue and one to nine hairs on each side.

The head is round and is dominated by a pair of large eyes that are blackish red with white margins. Each female usually produces 150-200 eggs per nest and can produce 2000-3000 eggs throughout life.

The female lays many eggs on the carcass, skin or hair of live animals causing myiasis. Larvae feed on rotting organic tissue. The eggs hatch in nine hours and three days to become larvae which pass through three instars, then enter the prepupal and pupa stages before entering the imago stage.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Order: Diptera
Suborder: Brachycera
Infraorder: Cyclorrhapha
Zoosection: Schizophora
Zoosubsection: Calyptratae
Superfamily: Oestroidea
Family: Calliphoridae
Subfamily: Luciliinae
Genus: Lucilia
Species: Lucilia sericata

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