Flesh Fly - (Sarcophaga sp.)

Some Flesh Flies are found on dead and rotting animal tissue, making them useful forensics tools when determining time of death for human victims.

Staff Writer (7/25/2017): Knowledge of the life cycle of certain genera of Flesh Flies can be valuable information. The presence of adults and larvae at a crime scene can actually assist a forensics specialist in determining how long a body has been in that area. The genus Sarcophaga lays live maggots, not eggs, on carcasses, and their size and life stage changes quickly. These means a timeline can be established that may prove useful in a death investigation.

Adult Flesh Flies drink animal fluids and may also visit piles of dung. Their larvae (maggots) eat the rotting, decaying flesh of vertebrates as well as dead insects. Many of them remain on the carcass they were born on, crawling over each other at a single feeding site, the sight of which may cause nausea in some people.

Adults in Sarcophaga have red eyes and clear wings. Their thorax ('shoulder area') has alternating black and gray stripes that may look metallic. The black abdomen ends in a brownish-red tip and spiky hairs. They are active all spring and summer. They can be found in open areas like fields, parks, meadows and parking lots. They may also be found in backyards and forests. This genus consists of almost 80 species and spans the entire North American continent.

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Details of the:
Flesh Fly

Category: Fly or Mosquito
Common name: Flesh Fly
Scientific Name: Sarcophaga sp.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Diptera

Family: Sarcophagidae

Genus: Sarcophaga

Species: sp.

Size (Adult, Length): 10mm to 14mm (0.39in to 0.55in)

Identifying Colors: black, gray, silver, red

Additional Descriptors: fast, flying, carrion, rotten, corpse, eyes, silver

North American Reach (Though Not Limited To*): Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming; Alberta; British Columbia; Manitoba; New Brunswick; Newfoundland and Labrador; Nova Scotia; Ontario; Prince Edward Island; Quebec; Saskatchewan; Mexico

* Keep in mind that an insect's reach is not limited by lines on a map and therefore may appear in areas/regions/states beyond those listed above.

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