Calliphoridae

{{Short description|Family of flies}} {{other uses|Blowfly (disambiguation)}} {{Redirect|Bluebottle fly|additional species called "bluebottle"|Bluebottle (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Chrysomya megacephala male.jpg | image_caption = Male ''Chrysomya megacephala'' | taxon = Calliphoridae | authority = Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1889<ref name="BrauerBergenstamm1889">{{cite journal |last1= Brauer|first1= F.|last2= Bergenstamm|first2= J. E. von |date= 1889 |title= Die Zweiflugler des Kaiserlichen Museums zu Wien. IV. Vorarbeiten zu einer Monographie der Muscaria Schizometopa (exclusive Anthomyidae).Pars I |url= https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7109187#page/115/mode/1up|journal= Denkschriften der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften |volume= 56 |issue= 1 |pages= 69–180 |access-date=25 November 2014}}</ref> | subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies | subdivision = * Bengaliinae<ref name="Rognes2011">{{cite journal |last1=Rognes |first1=Knut |title=A review of the monophyly and composition of the Bengaliinae with the description of a new genus and species, and new evidence for the presence of Melanomyinae in the Afrotropical Region (Diptera, Calliphoridae) |journal=Zootaxa |date=13 July 2011 |volume=2964 |issue=1 |pages=1 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.2964.1.1 |hdl=11250/182367 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> * Calliphorinae * Chrysomyinae * Helicoboscinae<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rognes |first1=Knut |title=The systematic position of the genus Helicobosca Bezzi with a discussion of the monophyly of the calyptrate families Calliphoridae, Rhinophoridae, Sarcophagidae and Tachinidae (Diptera) |journal=Insect Systematics & Evolution |year=1986 |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=75–92 |doi=10.1163/187631286X00125 }}</ref> * Luciliinae * Melanomyinae * Rhinophorinae<ref name="YanPapeEtAl2021">{{cite journal |last1=Yan |first1=Liping |last2=Pape |first2=Thomas |last3=Meusemann |first3=Karen |last4=Kutty |first4=Sujatha Narayanan |last5=Meier |first5=Rudolf |last6=Bayless |first6=Keith M |last7=Zhang |first7=Dong |title=Monophyletic blowflies revealed by phylogenomics |journal=BMC Biology |date=2021 |volume=19 |issue=230 |page=230 |doi=10.1186/s12915-021-01156-4 |pmid=34706743 |pmc=8555136 |doi-access=free }}</ref> }}

The '''Calliphoridae''' (commonly known as '''blowflies''', '''blow flies''', '''blow-flies''', '''carrion flies''', '''bluebottles''', or '''greenbottles''')<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=151495 |taxon=Calliphoridae |access-date=31 May 2008}}</ref> are a family of insects in the order Diptera, with almost 1,900 known species. The maggot larvae, often used as fishing bait, are known as '''gentles'''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gentle |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gentle--2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730110824/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gentle--2 |archive-date=30 July 2012 |access-date=24 May 2016 |publisher=Oxford Dictionaries}}</ref> The family is known to be polyphyletic, but much remains disputed regarding proper treatment of the constituent taxa,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yeates |first1=D. K. |last2=Wiegmann |first2=B. M. |year=1999 |title=Congruence and controversy: toward a higher-level phylogeny of Diptera |journal=Annual Review of Entomology |volume=44 |pages=397–428 |doi=10.1146/annurev.ento.44.1.397 |pmid=15012378 }}</ref> some of which are occasionally accorded family status (e.g., Bengaliidae and Helicoboscidae).<ref name="Sivell2021">{{cite journal |last1=Sivell |first1=Olga |title=Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae, Polleniidae, Rhiniidae) |journal=RES Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects |date=2021 |volume=10 |issue=16 |pages=1–208 |isbn=9781910159064}}</ref>

==Description==

=== Characteristics === Calliphoridae adults are commonly shiny with metallic colouring, often with blue, green, or black thoraces and abdomens. Antennae are three-segmented and aristate. The aristae are plumose their entire length, and the second antennal segment is distinctly grooved. Members of Calliphoridae have branched Rs 2 veins, frontal sutures are present, and calypters are well developed.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ali |first1=Hayder |url=https://uomustansiriyah.edu.iq/media/lectures/95/95_2024_04_01!09_44_43_AM.pdf |title = Entymology 2: Family Calliphoridae|website=uomustansiriyah.edu.iq |access-date=31 October 2024}}</ref> The characteristics and arrangements of hairlike bristles are used to differentiate among members of this family. All blowflies have bristles located on the meron. Having two notopleural bristles and a hindmost posthumeral bristle located lateral to presutural bristle are characteristics to look for when identifying this family.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

The thorax has the continuous dorsal suture across the middle, along with well-defined posterior calli. The postscutellum is absent or weakly developed. The costa is unbroken and the subcosta is apparent on the insect.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ces.csiro.au/biology/fly/fly.html |year=2004 |title=Anatomical Atlas of Flies |publisher=CSIRO |author1=Anne Hastings|author2=David Yeates|author3=Joanna Hamilton |access-date=13 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118040549/http://www.ces.csiro.au/biology/fly/fly.html |archive-date=18 January 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nku.edu/~biosci/CoursesNDegree/ForensicFlyKey/families.htm |title=Biological Sciences: Northern Kentucky University |publisher=Nku.edu |date=2013-01-14 |access-date=2014-05-29 |archive-date=20 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920054523/http://www.nku.edu/~biosci/CoursesNDegree/ForensicFlyKey/families.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://aramel.free.fr/INSECTES15-4.shtml |title=INSECTES15-4 |publisher=Aramel.free.fr |access-date=2014-05-29}}</ref>

===Development=== Most species of blowflies studied thus far are anautogenous; a female requires a substantial amount of protein to develop mature eggs within her ovaries (about 800 μg per pair of ovaries in ''Phormia regina''). The current theory is that females visit carrion both for protein and egg laying, but this remains to be proven. Blowfly eggs, usually yellowish or white in color, are about 1.5 mm × 0.4 mm, and when laid, look like rice grains. While the female blowfly typically lays 150–200 eggs per batch, she is usually iteroparous, laying around 2,000 eggs during the course of her life. The sex ratio of blowfly eggs is usually 50:50, but one exception is females from two species of the genus ''Chrysomya'' (''C. rufifacies'' and ''C. albiceps''), which are either arrhenogenic (laying only male offspring) or thelygenic (laying only female offspring).{{cn|date=August 2022}}

Hatching from an egg to the first larval stage takes about 8 hours to a day. Larvae have three stages of development (instars); each stage is separated by a molting event. The instars are separable by examining the posterior spiracles, or openings to the breathing system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smlc.asso.fr/smlc/dmla/entomologie/diaporama/images/08.jpg |title=diaporama image |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041227100737/http://www.smlc.asso.fr/smlc/dmla/entomologie/diaporama/images/08.jpg |archive-date=2004-12-27 |access-date=11 March 2014}}</ref> [[File:Blowfly, Calliphora erythrocephala, lava.jpg|thumb|alt=Photomicrograph of entire exoskeleton|Larva of ''Calliphora erythrocephala''. The exoskeleton is about 16.5mm long. The mouth hooks are the dark objects on the left]]The larvae use proteolytic enzymes in their excreta (as well as mechanical grinding by mouth hooks) to break down proteins on the livestock or corpse on which they are feeding. Blowflies are poikilothermic – the rate at which they grow and develop is highly dependent on temperature and species. Under room temperature (about 20 °C), the black blowfly ''Phormia regina'' can change from egg to pupa in 150–266 hours (six to 11 days). When the third larval stage is complete, it leaves the corpse and burrows into the ground to pupate, emerging as an adult 7–14 days later.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

===Food sources=== Adult blowflies are occasional pollinators, being attracted to flowers with strong odors resembling rotting meat, such as the American pawpaw or dead horse arum. Little doubt remains that these flies use nectar as a source of carbohydrates to fuel flight, but just how and when this happens is unknown. One study showed the visual stimulus a blowfly receives from its compound eyes is responsible for causing its legs to extend from its flight position and allow it to land on any surface.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Goodman |first=Lesley J. |year=1964 |title=The landing responses of insects. II. The electrical response of the compound eye of the fly, ''Lucilia sericata'', upon stimluation by moving objects and slow changes of light intensity |journal=Journal of Experimental Biology |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=403–415 |doi=10.1242/jeb.41.2.403 |url=http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/41/2/403.pdf}}</ref>

Larvae of most species are scavengers of carrion and dung, and most likely constitute the majority of the maggots found in such material, although they are not uncommonly found in close association with other dipterous larvae from the families Sarcophagidae and Muscidae, and many other acalyptrate muscoid flies.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

===Predators=== Predators of blowflies include spiders,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Welch|first1=John B.|title=Predation by Spiders on Ground-Released Screwworm Flies, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in a Mountainous Area of Southern Mexico|journal=Journal of Arachnology|publisher=American Arachnological Society|location=Ithaca, New York|date=1993|volume=21|issue=1|pages=23–28|jstor=3705375}}</ref> beetles, frogs, and birds, including chickens.

In the Chihuahuan desert of Mexico, a fungus, ''Furia vomitoriae'' {{Au|(Rozsypal) Humber (1989)}} (from the family of Entomophthoraceae) affects bluebottle flies. It forms masses of conidiophores erupting through the intersegmental areas (or clear bands) on the abdominal dorsum of the flies and eventually kills them.<ref name=Sanchez>{{cite journal |last1=Sanchez-Pena |first1=Sergio R. |title=Entomopathogens from two Chihuahuan desert localities in Mexico, Projects: Fall armyworm, ''Spodoptera frugiperda'', in north-eastern Mexico |journal=BioControl |date=April 2000 |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=63–78 |doi=10.1023/A:1009915308907|s2cid=6876392 }}</ref>

=== Host-microbe interactions === Blowflies (Calliphoridae) feed and develop in microbially dense and chemically dynamic substrates such as carrion and necrotic wounds.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=K. |first1=Tomberlin, Jeffery |last2=L. |first2=Crippen, Tawni |last3=M. |first3=Tarone, Aaron |last4=Chaudhury, Muhammad F. B. |last5=Baneshwar |first5=Singh |last6=A. |first6=Cammack, Jonathan |last7=P. |first7=Meisel, Richard |date=2017-01-01 |title=A Review of Bacterial Interactions With Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of Medical, Veterinary, and Forensic Importance |url=https://academic.oup.com/aesa/article/110/1/19/2740724 |journal=Annals of the Entomological Society of America |language=en |volume=110 |issue=1 |doi=10.1093/ae |doi-broken-date=20 November 2025 |issn=0013-8746 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20210310133919/https://academic.oup.com/aesa/article/110/1/19/2740724 |archive-date=2021-03-10}}</ref> Because blowflies, their larvae and necrobiome-associated microbiota engage in resource partitioning,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Benbow |first1=M. Eric |last2=Barton |first2=Philip S. |last3=Ulyshen |first3=Michael D. |last4=Beasley |first4=James C. |last5=DeVault |first5=Travis L. |last6=Strickland |first6=Michael S. |last7=Tomberlin |first7=Jeffery K. |last8=Jordan |first8=Heather R. |last9=Pechal |first9=Jennifer L. |date=2019 |title=Necrobiome framework for bridging decomposition ecology of autotrophically and heterotrophically derived organic matter |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ecm.1331 |journal=Ecological Monographs |language=en |volume=89 |issue=1 |pages=e01331 |doi=10.1002/ecm.1331 |bibcode=2019EcoM...89E1331B |issn=1557-7015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Resource Partitioning and Why It Matters {{!}} Learn Science at Scitable |url=https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/resource-partitioning-and-why-it-matters-17362658/ |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=www.nature.com |language=en}}</ref> blowflies often act as both pathogen vectors<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Förster |first1=Maike |last2=Klimpel |first2=Sven |last3=Mehlhorn |first3=Heinz |last4=Sievert |first4=Kai |last5=Messler |first5=Sabine |last6=Pfeffer |first6=Klaus |date=2007-06-01 |title=Pilot study on synanthropic flies (e.g. Musca, Sarcophaga, Calliphora, Fannia, Lucilia, Stomoxys) as vectors of pathogenic microorganisms |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0522-y |journal=Parasitology Research |language=en |volume=101 |issue=1 |pages=243–246 |doi=10.1007/s00436-007-0522-y |pmid=17370089 |issn=1432-1955}}</ref> and engage in facultative bacterivory. Bacterial digestion by ''Lucilia sericata'' larvae is well-established for some microorganisms like ''Escherichia coli'' <ref>Mumcuoglu, K. Y., Miller, J., Mumcuoglu, M., Friger, M., & Tarshis, M. (2001). Destruction of bacteria in the digestive tract of the maggot of Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae). ''Journal of medical entomology'', ''38''(2), 161-166.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lerch |first1=Klaus |last2=Linde |first2=Hans-Jörg |last3=Lehn |first3=Norbert |last4=Grifka |first4=Joachim |date=2003 |title=Bacteria Ingestion by Blowfly Larvae: An in vitro Study |url=https://karger.com/drm/article-abstract/207/4/362/112535/Bacteria-Ingestion-by-Blowfly-Larvae-An-in-vitro?redirectedFrom=fulltext |journal=Dermatology |language=en |volume=207 |issue=4 |pages=362–366 |doi=10.1159/000074115 |pmid=14657627 |issn=1018-8665 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240608231859/https://karger.com/drm/article-abstract/207/4/362/112535/Bacteria-Ingestion-by-Blowfly-Larvae-An-in-vitro?redirectedFrom=fulltext |archive-date=2024-06-08}}</ref> but it has been hypothesized that other microbial taxa are spared or excluded from significant rates of digestion.<ref>Thompson, C. R., Brogan, R. S., Scheifele, L. Z., & Rivers, D. B. (2013). Bacterial interactions with necrophagous flies. ''Annals of the Entomological Society of America'', ''106''(6), 799-809.</ref> While it is known that ''Providencia'' spp. bacteria are detrimental to ''Cochliomyia macellaria'' larvae under gnotobiotic conditions<ref>Ahmad, A., Broce, A., & Zurek, L. (2006). Evaluation of significance of bacteria in larval development of Cochliomyia macellaria (Diptera: Calliphoridae). ''Journal of medical entomology'', ''43''(6), 1129-1133.</ref> and several blowfly species benefit from feeding under gnotobiotic, "mixed microbial environments",<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Crooks |first1=Esther R. |last2=Bulling |first2=Mark T. |last3=Barnes |first3=Kate M. |date=2016-09-01 |title=Microbial effects on the development of forensically important blow fly species |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379073816302389 |journal=Forensic Science International |volume=266 |pages=185–190 |doi=10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.05.026 |pmid=27289434 |issn=0379-0738}}</ref> in general, the taxonomic specificities and causal mechanisms behind this phenomenon — which would help delineate passive microbial persistence in the animal's tissues from parasitism or mutualism (symbiosis) — remains unknown. For example, a study showed that ''Lactobacillus'', ''Proteus'', ''Diaphorobacter'', and ''Morganella'' were the main taxa associated with third larval instar ''Lucilia sericata'' salivary glands (in decreasing order);<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Baneshwar |last2=Crippen |first2=Tawni L. |last3=Zheng |first3=Longyu |last4=Fields |first4=Andrew T. |last5=Yu |first5=Ziniu |last6=Ma |first6=Qun |last7=Wood |first7=Thomas K. |last8=Dowd |first8=Scot E. |last9=Flores |first9=Micah |last10=Tomberlin |first10=Jeffery K. |last11=Tarone |first11=Aaron M. |date=2015-01-01 |title=A metagenomic assessment of the bacteria associated with Lucilia sericata and Lucilia cuprina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-6115-7 |journal=Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology |language=en |volume=99 |issue=2 |pages=869–883 |doi=10.1007/s00253-014-6115-7 |pmid=25306907 |issn=1432-0614}}</ref> which suggests an apparent balance between lactic acid-producing Gram-positive and urease-producing Gram-negative microbial taxa.<ref name=":0" /> Despite this aforementioned insight, dedicated studies on the effect of altered substrate pH levels on blowfly larvae development have yet to connect their findings to either blowfly host-specific pH preferences, fermentation, or microbial activity in general;<ref>Chaudhury, M. F., & Skoda, S. R. (2009). Diet pH, and viscosity affect development and survival of screwworm larvae (Diptera: Calliphoridae). ''Journal of economic entomology'', ''102''(2), 799-803.</ref> the last of which is the main contributor towards pH modulation in necrotic biomass substrates.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=DeBruyn |first1=Jennifer M. |last2=Keenan |first2=Sarah W. |last3=Taylor |first3=Lois S. |date=2025-02-01 |title=From carrion to soil: microbial recycling of animal carcasses |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966842X24002294 |journal=Trends in Microbiology |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=194–207 |doi=10.1016/j.tim.2024.09.003 |pmid=39358066 |issn=0966-842X}}</ref> Despite these unknowns, a causal mechanism of blowfly-larval microbiome selection and mechanisms governing larval microbiome community assembly was investigated using axenic ''Lucilia sericata'' larvae-microbe exposure assays.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=McKenna |first1=C. H. |last2=Asgari |first2=D. |last3=Crippen |first3=T. L. |last4=Zheng |first4=L. |last5=Sherman |first5=R. A. |last6=Tomberlin |first6=J. K. |last7=Meisel |first7=R. P. |last8=Tarone |first8=A. M. |date=February 2022 |title=Gene expression in Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) larvae exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii identifies shared and microbe-specific induction of immune genes |journal=Insect Molecular Biology |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=85–100 |doi=10.1111/imb.12740 |issn=1365-2583 |pmid=34613655}}</ref> It was found that larvae mount distinct immune transcriptional programs when challenged with ''Pseudomonas aeruginosa'' versus ''Acinetobacter baumannii'', suggesting that blowflies do not deploy a generic “one-size-fits-all” immune response but instead engage pathogen-specific signaling through the IMD and Toll pathways.<ref name=":02" />

Consistent with this immunological specificity, comparative surveys of wild ''Lucilia sericata'' and ''Phormia regina'' show that microbiome composition is strongly associated with host species identity, regardless of shared environments or sampling conditions.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Mikaelyan |first1=Aram |last2=Receveur |first2=Joseph |last3=Bernstein |first3=Kadie |last4=Babcock |first4=Nicholas J. |last5=Pechal |first5=Jennifer L. |last6=Welsh |first6=Michael V. |last7=Waters |first7=Kelly A. |last8=Yoskowitz |first8=Katherine H. |last9=Benbow |first9=M. Eric |date=2025-11-27 |title=Host-specific microbiomes of blow flies: ecological drivers and implications for pathogen carriage |journal=Frontiers in Immunology |language=English |volume=16 |article-number=1673934 |doi=10.3389/fimmu.2025.1673934 |doi-access=free |issn=1664-3224}}</ref> Taxonomic profiles differ significantly between species, with genera such as ''Ignatzschineria'' and ''Dysgonomonas'' enriched in ''P. regina'', while ''Vagococcus'' and ''Escherichia–Shigella'' are more prevalent in ''L. sericata''.<ref name=":1" /> These patterns support a role for host filtering in blowfly-microbiome assembly, and indicate that species-level differences in microbial associations may translate into differing risks of pathogen carriage.<ref name=":1" />

==Diversity== About 1,900 species of blowflies are known, with 120 species in the Neotropics, and a large number of species in Africa and Southern Europe.{{cn|date=August 2022}} Their typical habitats are temperate to tropical areas that provide a layer of loose, damp soil and litter where larvae may thrive and pupate.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

'''Sources:''' MYIA,<ref name="MYIA">{{cite journal |last=Sabrosky |first=Curtis W. |title=Family-Group Names in Diptera An annotated catalog |journal=Myia |url=http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/diptera/people/FCT_pdf/FGNAMES.pdf |volume=10 |year=1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411095829/http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/Diptera/people/FCT_pdf/FGNAMES.pdf |archive-date=11 April 2008 }}</ref> FE,<ref name="FE">{{cite web | url = http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=10892 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051101001348/http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=10892 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 1 November 2005 | title = Taxon details: Calliphoridae | access-date = 31 May 2008 | last1 = Rognes | first1 = Knut | author2 = Pape, Thomas | date = 19 April 2007 | work = Fauna Europaea version 1.1 }}</ref> Nomina,<ref name="Nomina">{{cite web | url = http://www.nearctica.com/nomina/diptera/dipb-c.htm#anchor443206 | title = Diptera: B–C | access-date = 31 May 2008 | year = 1998 | work = Nomina – a classification of the Insects of North America as portrayed in Nomina Insecta Nearctica | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060506134546/http://www.nearctica.com/nomina/diptera/dipb-c.htm#anchor443206 | archive-date = 6 May 2006 }}</ref> A/O DC<ref name="aocat">{{cite web | url = http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/calliphoridae.html | title = 109. Family CALLIPHORIDAE | access-date = 31 May 2008 | last = Kurahshi | first = Hiromu | date = 28 May 2007 | work = Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog }}</ref>

This is a selected list of genera from the Palearctic, Nearctic, Malaysia (Japan), and Australasia:

{{div col|colwidth=26em}} * ''Abago'' Grunin, 1966<ref name="Grunin1966">{{cite journal |last=Grunin |first= K. Ya. |date= 1966 |title= New and little-known Calliphoridae (Diptera), mainly bloodsucking or subcutaneous parasites of birds |language= ru|journal= Ent. Obozr |volume= 45 |pages=897–903 }}</ref> * ''Amenia'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830<ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830">{{cite journal |last1=Robineau-Desvoidy |first1=André Jean Baptiste |title=Essai sur les myodaires |journal=Mémoires presentés à l'Institut des Sciences, Lettres et Arts, par divers savants et lus dans ses assemblées: Sciences, Mathématiques et Physique |date=1830 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=1–813 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3472165#page/9/mode/1up |access-date=15 July 2018}}</ref> * ''Angioneura'' Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1893<ref name="BrauerBergenstamm1893">{{cite book |last1= Brauer|first1= F.|last2= Bergenstamm|first2= J. E. von |date= 1893 |title= Die Zweiflugler des Kaiserlichen Museums zu Wien, VI. Vorarbeiten zu einer Monographie der Muscaria Schizometopa (exclusive Anthomyidae) |publisher= F. Tempsky, Wien |volume= Pars III|pages= 152 }}</ref> * ''Apaulina'' Hall, 1948<ref name="Hall1948">{{cite book |last= Hall |first= D. G.|date=1948 |title= The blowflies of North America|publisher= Thomas Say Publ|page= 4}}</ref> * ''Cynomya'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830<ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> * ''Aphyssura'' Hardy, 1940<ref name="Hardy1940">{{cite journal |last= Hardy|first= G. H. |date= 1940 |title= Notes on Australian Muscoidea |journal= Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland |volume= 51 |issue= 2 |pages= 133–146 |doi= 10.5962/p.168232 |s2cid= 257139797 |doi-access= free }}</ref> * ''Auchmeromyia'' Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1891<ref name="BrauerBergenstamm1891">{{cite journal |last1= Brauer|first1= F.|last2= Bergenstamm|first2= J. E. von |date= 1891 |title= Die Zweiflugler des Kaiserlichen Museums zu Wien. V. Vorarbeiten zu einer Monographie der Muscaria Schizometopa (exclusive Anthomyidae) |journal= F. Tempsky, Wien|pages= 142}}</ref> * ''Bellardia'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1863 * ''Bengalia'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830<ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> * ''Booponus'' Aldrich, 1923<ref name="Aldrich">{{cite journal |last = Aldrich |first = J. M. |date = 1923 |title = A new genus and species of fly reared from the hoof of the carabao |journal = The Philippine Journal of Science |volume = 22 |pages = 141–142|title-link = carabao }}</ref> * ''Boreellus'' Aldrich & Shannon, 1923 * ''Caiusa'' Surcouf, 1920<ref>{{cite web | url=http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2015/f/z03952p080f.pdf | title=Revision of the frog fly genus Caiusa Surcouf, 1920 (Diptera, Calliphoridae), with a note on the identity of Plinthomyia emimelania Rondani, 1875 | publisher=zootaxa | access-date=26 May 2016}}</ref> * ''Calliphora'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830<ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> * ''Callitroga'' Hall, 1948<ref name="Hall1948"/> * ''Catapicephala'' Macquart, 1851<ref name="Macquart1851">{{cite journal |last = Macquart|first = P. J. M. |date = 1851 |title = Dipteres exotiques nouveaux ou peu connus. Suite du 4e supplement publie dans les memoires de 1849 |journal = Mémoires de la Société (Royale) des sciences, de l'agriculture et des arts à Lille |volume = 1850 |pages = 134–294 |url = https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/107754#page/156/mode/1up| access-date = 28 March 2021}}</ref> * ''Chloroprocta'' Wulp, 1896 * ''Chrysomya'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830<ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> * ''Cochliomyia'' Townsend, 1915<ref name="Townsend1915">{{cite journal |last= Townsend |first= C. H. T. |date= 1915 |title= A new generic name for the screw-worm fly |journal=Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences |volume= 5|pages= 644–646}}</ref> * ''Compsomyiops'' Townsend, 1918<ref name="Townsend1918">{{cite journal |last= Townsend |first= C. H. T. |date= 1918 |title= New muscoid genera, species and synonymy (Diptera) |journal= Insecutor Inscitiae Menstruus |volume = 6 |pages = 151–156 }}</ref> * ''Cordylobia'' Gruenberg, 1903 * ''Cyanus'' Hall, 1948<ref name="Hall1948"/> * ''Dyscritomyia'' Grimshaw, 1901<ref>{{cite journal |last = Grimshaw |first = P. H. |date = 1901 |title = Part I. Diptera |journal = Fauna Hawaiiensis |volume = 3 |issue = 1 |pages = 1–77}}</ref> * ''Eggisops'' Rondani, 1862 * ''Eucalliphora'' Townsend, 1908<ref name="Townsend1908">{{cite journal |last1=Townsend |first1=Charles Henry Tyler |title=The taxonomy of the muscoidean flies, including descriptions of new genera and species |journal=Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections |date=1908 |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=1–138 |access-date=13 September 2021 |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/23336/SMC_51_Townsend_1908_2_1-138.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y}}</ref> * ''Eumesembrinella'' Townsend, 1931<ref name="Townsend1931">{{cite journal |last=Townsend |first=Charles Haskins T. |date= 1931 |title=Notes on American oestromuscoid types |journal=Revista de Entomologia |location=Rio de Janeiro |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=157–183 }}</ref> * ''Eurychaeta'' Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1891<ref name="BrauerBergenstamm1891"/> * ''Euphumosia'' Malloch, 1926<ref name="Malloch1926">{{cite journal |last1=Malloch |first1=J.R. |title=LXI.— Exotic Muscaridæ ( Diptera ).—XVIII |journal=Annals and Magazine of Natural History |date=May 1926 |volume=17 |issue=101 |pages=489–510 |doi=10.1080/00222932608633438 }}</ref> * ''Hemilucilia'' Brauer, 1895<ref name="Brauer1895">{{cite journal |last=Brauer |first=F. |date=1895 |title=Bemerkungen zu einigen neuen Gattungen der Muscarien und Deutung einiger Original-Exemplare |trans-title=Comments on some new genera of the muscaria and interpretation of some original specimens |language=German |journal=Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften |volume=104 |issue=1 |pages=582–604 |url=http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/129/1298074140.pdf }}</ref> * ''Hemipyrellia'' Townsend, 1918<ref name="Townsend1918"/> * ''Lucilia'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830<ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> * ''Melanomya'' Rondani, 1856 * ''Melinda'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830<ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> * ''Mufetiella'' Villeneuve, 1933<ref name="Villeneuve1933">{{cite journal |last= Villeneuve |first=J. |date= 1933 |title=Myodaires superieurs asiatiques nouveaux |trans-title=New Asian Upper Myodia |language=French |journal=Bulletin et Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique |volume=73 |pages=195–199 }}</ref> * ''Nesodexia'' Villeneuve, 1911<ref name="Villeneuve1911">{{cite journal |last= Villeneuve |first=J. |date= 1911 |title= Dipterologische Sammelreise nack Korsika. (Dipt.) [Schluss] Tachinidae |journal= Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift |volume= 1911 |pages= 117–130}}</ref> * ''Neta'' Shannon, 1926<ref name="Shannon1926">{{cite journal |last1=Shannon |first1=Raymond Corbett |title=Synopsis of the American Calliphoridae (Diptera) |journal=Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington |date=1926 |volume=28 |pages=115–139 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16137529#page/149/mode/1up |access-date=5 June 2020}}</ref> * ''Onesia'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830<ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> * ''Opsodexia'' Townsend, 1915<ref name="Townsend1915"/> * ''Pachychoeromyia'' Villeneuve, 1920<ref name="Villeneuve1920">{{cite journal |last1=Villeneuve de Janti |first1=Joseph |title=À propos de la révision des Muscidae testaceae de J. Surcouf |journal=Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France |date=1920 |volume=25 |issue=14 |pages=223–225 |doi=10.3406/bsef.1920.26657 |bibcode=1920AnSEF..25..223V |s2cid=243973475 |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/bsef_0037-928x_1920_num_25_14_26657 }}</ref> * ''Paralucilia'' Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1891<ref name="BrauerBergenstamm1891"/> * ''Paramenia'' Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1889<ref name="BrauerBergenstamm1889"/> * ''Paraplatytropesa'' Crosskey, 1965<ref name="Crosskey1965">{{cite journal |last= Crosskey |first= R. W. |date= 1965 |title= A systematic revision of the Ameniinae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) |journal= Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology|volume= 16 |pages= 33–140 |doi=10.5962/bhl.part.21863|url= https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/21863 |doi-access= free }}</ref> * ''Phormia'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830<ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> * ''Phumosia'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830<ref name="Robineau-Desvoidy1830"/> * ''Platytropesa'' Macquart, 1851<ref name="Macquart1851"/> * ''Polleniopsis'' Townsend, 1917<ref name="Townsend1917">{{cite journal |last1=Townsend |first1=C H T |title=Indian flies of the subfamily Rhiniinae |journal=Records of the Indian Museum |date=1917 |volume=13 |pages=185–202 |doi=10.5962/bhl.part.5859 |s2cid=90664939 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/5859 |doi-access=free }}</ref> * ''Prosthetosoma'' Silvestri, 1920<ref name="Silvestri1920">{{cite journal |last= Silvestri |first= F. |date= 1920 |title= Contribuzione alla conoscenza dei termitidi e termitofilidell' Africa occidentale. II. – Termitofili. Parte seconda|journal= Boll.Lab. Portici|volume= 14 |pages= 265–319 }}</ref> * ''Protocalliphora'' Hough, 1899<ref name="Hough1899">{{cite journal |last= Hough |first= G. de N. |date= 1899 |title= Some North American genera of the dipterous group, Calliphorinae Girschner |journal= Entomological News |volume= 10 |pages= 62–66 }}</ref> * ''Protophormia'' Townsend, 1908<ref name="Townsend1908"/> * ''Ptilonesia'' Bezzi, 1927<ref name="Bezzi1927">{{cite journal |last= Bezzi |first= Mario |date= 1927 |title= Some Calliphoridae (Diptera) from the South Pacific islands and Australia |journal= Bulletin of Entomological Research |volume= 17 |issue= 3|pages= 231–247|doi=10.1017/s0007485300019283}}</ref> * ''Rhynchoestrus'' Séguy, 1926<ref name="Séguy1926">{{cite journal |last= Séguy |first= Eugène |date= 1926 |title= Sur une forme nouvelle se rapportant aux "Oestridae dubiosae" |journal= Encyclopedia Ent. (B II) |volume= 3 |pages= 1–10 }}</ref> * ''Sarconesia'' Bigot, 1857<ref name="Bigot1857">{{cite journal |last= Bigot |first= J. M. F. |date= 1857 |title= Dipteres nouveaux provenant du Chili |journal= Annales de la Société Entomologique de France |volume= 3|issue= 5|pages= 277–308 }}</ref> * ''Silbomyia'' Macquart, 1843<ref name="Macquart1943">{{cite journal |last = Macquart | first = P. J. M. |date = 1843 |title = Dipteres exotiques nouveaux ou peu connus |journal = Mem. Soc. R. Sci. Agric. Lille |volume = 2 |issue = 3 |pages = 162–460 }}</ref> * ''Stilbomyella'' Malloch, 1935<ref name="Malloch1935">{{cite journal |last= Malloch |first= J.R. |date= 1935 |title= The Diptera of the Territory of New Guinea. III. Families Musicidae and Tachinidae |journal= Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales |volume= 60 |pages= 74–78 }}</ref> * ''Toxotarsus'' Macquart, 1851<ref name="Macquart1851"/> * ''Triceratopyga'' Rohdendorf, 1931<ref name="Rohdendorf1931">{{cite journal |last= Rohdendorf |first= B. B. |date= 1931 |title= Calliphorinen-Studien IV (Dipt.). Eine neue Calliphorinen-Gattung aus Ostsibirien |journal= Zoologischer Anzeiger |volume= 95 |pages= 175–177 }}</ref> * ''Tricyclea'' Wulp, 1885<ref name="Wulp1885">{{cite journal |last= Wulp |first= F. M. van der |date= 1885 |title= Quelques dipteres exotiques |journal=Bulletin & Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique |volume= 28 |pages= cclxxxviii–ccxcvii }}</ref> * ''Tricycleopsis''Villeneuve, 1927<ref name="Villeneuve1927">{{cite journal |last= Villeneuve |first=J. |date= 1927 |title=Myodaires superieurs nouveaux de l'Œle de Formose |journal= Revue Zool. Bot. Afr |volume= 15 |pages= 387–397}}</ref> * ''Trypocalliphora'' Peus, 1960<ref name="Peus1960">{{cite journal |last= Tuomikoski |first= R. |date= 1960 |title = The Ocydromiinae group of subfamilies (Diptera, Empididae) |journal= Ann. Entomol. Fenn. |volume= 32 |pages= 282–294}}</ref> * ''Xenocalliphora'' Malloch, 1924<ref name="Malloch1924">{{cite journal |last= Malloch |first= J.R. |date= 1924 |title= The recorded Calliphoridae of New Zealand (Diptera) |journal= Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales |volume= 55 |pages= 638–640 }}</ref> {{div col end}}

==Economic importance==

===Myiasis=== Blowflies have caught the interest of researchers in a variety of fields, although the large body of literature on calliphorids has been concentrated on solving the problem of myiasis in livestock. The sheep blowfly ''Lucilia cuprina'' causes the Australian sheep industry an estimated AU$170 million a year in losses.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

The most common causes of myiasis in humans and animals are the three dipteran families Oestridae, Calliphoridae, and Sarcophagidae. Myiasis in humans is clinically categorized in six ways: dermal and subdermal, facial cavity, wound or trauma, gastrointestinal, vaginal, and generalized. If found in humans, the dipteran larvae are usually in their first instar. The only treatment necessary is just to remove the maggots, and the patient heals naturally.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Yazdi |first=Ismail |title=Oral mucosa myiasis caused by Oestrus Ovis |journal=Archives of Iranian Medicine |access-date=17 April 2008 |url=http://www.ams.ac.ir/AIM/0253/0253194.htm |archive-date=4 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804102403/http://www.ams.ac.ir/AIM/0253/0253194.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Whilst not strictly a myiasis species, the Congo floor maggot feeds on mammal blood, occasionally human.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

===Screwworms=== The New World primary screwworm (''Cochliomyia hominivorax''), once a major pest in Southern United States, has been eradicated from the United States, Mexico, and Central America through an extensive release program by the USDA of sterilized males. The USDA maintains a sterile screwworm fly production plant and release program in the eastern half of the Republic of Panama to keep fertile screwworms from migrating north. Currently, this species is limited to lowland tropical countries in South America and some Caribbean islands.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

The Old World primary screwworm (''Chrysomya bezziana'') is an obligate parasite of mammals. This fly is distributed throughout the Old World, including Southeast Asia, tropical and subtropical Africa, some countries in the Middle East, India, the Malay Peninsula, the Indonesian and Philippine Islands, and Papua New Guinea.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sutherst |first1=R. W. |last2=Spradbery |first2=J. P. |last3=Maywald |first3=G. F. |title=The potential geographical distribution of the Old World screwworm fly, Chrysomya bezziana |journal=Med. Vet. Entomol |year=1989 |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=273–280 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2915.1989.tb00228.x |pmid=2519672 |s2cid=45377881 }}</ref>

The secondary screwworm (''Cochliomyia macellaria'') has become one of the principal species on which to base ''post mortem'' interval estimations because its succession and occurrence on decomposing remains has been well defined. The secondary screwworm is found throughout the United States and the American tropics, and in southern Canada during summers. This species is one of the most common species found on decomposing remains in the US South.<ref>{{cite web |last=Byrd |first=Jason H. |title=Secondary Screwworms |work=Featured Creatures Jan 1998 1–2 |access-date=28 March 2008 |url=http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/livestock/secondary_screwworm.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310173527/http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/livestock/secondary_screwworm.htm |archive-date=10 March 2008 }}</ref>

===Maggot therapy=== Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) is the medical use of selected, laboratory-raised fly larvae for cleaning nonhealing wounds. Medicinal maggots perform debridement by selectively eating only dead tissue. ''Lucilia sericata'' (''Phaenicia sericata''), or the common green bottlefly, is the preferred species used in maggot therapy.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Monaghan |first=Peter |title=Rx:Maggots, Notes from Academe |journal=The Chronicle of Higher Education |date=1 June 2007 |volume=53 |issue=39 |pages=A48 }}</ref> MDT can be used to treat pressure ulcers, diabetic foot wounds, venous stasis ulcers, and postsurgical wounds.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sherman |first=R. |title=Maggot Therapy Project |work=Maggot Therapy |date=Sep 2006 |access-date=28 March 2008 |url=http://www.ucihs.uci.edu/som/pathology/sherman/home_pg.htm |archive-date=1 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080401023009/http://www.ucihs.uci.edu/som/pathology/sherman/home_pg.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Disease=== Adults may be vectors of pathogens of diseases such as dysentery. Flies, most commonly Calliphoridae, have frequently been associated with disease transmission in humans and animals, as well as myiasis. Studies and research have linked ''Calliphora'' and ''Lucilia'' to vectors of causal agents of bacterial infections. These larvae, commonly seen on decaying bodies, feed on carrion while the adults can be necrophagous or vegetative. During the process of decay, microorganisms (e.g. ''Mycobacterium'') may be released through the body. Flies arrive at the scene and lay their eggs. The larvae begin eating and breaking down the corpse, simultaneously ingesting these organisms which is the first step of one transmission route.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

The bacterium which causes paratuberculosis in cattle, pigs and birds (''M. a. avium'') has been isolated and recovered from these flies through several different experiments.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

Other potential and threatening diseases include rabbit haemorrhagic disease{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} in New Zealand and flystrike. Although strike is not limited to blow flies, these maggots are a major source of this skin invasion, causing lesions, which, if severe enough, may be lethal. Strike starts when blow flies lay eggs in a wound or fecal material present on the sheep. When the maggots hatch, they begin feeding on the sheep and thus irritating it. As soon as the first wave of maggots hatch, they attract more blow flies, causing the strike. Insecticides are available for blow fly prevention (typically containing cypermethrin<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Novartis_Animal_Health_UK_Ltd/Crovect_1_25_ACU-_w_v_Pour-on_Solution_for_Sheep/-27940.html |title=Presentation |work=www.noahcompendium.co.uk |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref>), and precautionary measures may be taken, such as docking tails, shearing, and keeping the sheep healthy overall.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Novartis_Animal_Health_UK_Ltd/Crovect_1_25_ACU-_w_v_Pour-on_Solution_for_Sheep/-27942.html |title=NOAH Compendium of Animal Medicines: Crovect 1.25% w/v Pour-on Solution for Sheep – Dosage and administration |url-status=dead |access-date=11 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019165440/http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Novartis_Animal_Health_UK_Ltd/Crovect_1_25_ACU-_w_v_Pour-on_Solution_for_Sheep/-27942.html |archive-date=19 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Peacock |first=Andrew |title=Blow fly in Sheep |work=Newfoundland and Labrador Agriculture |date=31 August 2004 |access-date=15 April 2008 |url=http://www.nr.gov.nl.ca/agric/animal_diseases/domestic/pdf/blowfly04.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217172438/http://www.nr.gov.nl.ca/agric/animal_diseases/domestic/pdf/blowfly04.pdf |archive-date=17 December 2008}}</ref>

Salmonellosis has also been proven to be transmitted by the blow fly through saliva, feces and direct contact by the flies' tarsi. Adult flies may be able to spread pathogens via their sponging mouthparts, vomit, intestinal tract, sticky pads of their feet, or even their body or leg hairs.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Olsen |first=Alan R. |year=1998 |title=Regulatory Action Criteria for Filth and Other Extraneous Materials*1 III. Review of Flies and Foodborne Enteric Disease |journal=Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=199–211 |doi=10.1006/rtph.1998.1271|pmid=10049791 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1229964 |type=Submitted manuscript }}</ref>

As the flies are vectors of many diseases, the importance of identifying the transmissible agents, the route of transmission, and prevention and treatments in the event of contact are becoming increasingly important. With the ability to lay hundreds of eggs in a lifetime and the presence of thousands of larvae at a time in such close proximity, the potential for transmission is high, especially at ideal temperatures.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

=== Pollination === Calliphoridae are, alongside managed and wild bees, likely to be the main crop pollinating insect. They visit (and thus may pollinate) flowers of a wide range of plants, including crop plants (e.g. avocado, mango, onion, leek, carrot, cauliflower). Their sponging mouthparts mean that when visiting flowers, their head and upper body must broadly contact the inside of the flower. They have numerous hairs, including on the head and thorax, which may help them carry pollen, and indeed calliphorids in the wild have been observed carrying large amounts of pollen. Compared to honey bees, blow flies are active under a broader range of environmental conditions. However, it is unknown how their pollination abilities compare to those of bees, there are few studies assessing their contribution to pollination, and the exact species that pollinate are often not identified.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cook |first1=David F |last2=Voss |first2=Sasha C |last3=Finch |first3=Jonathan T D |last4=Rader |first4=Romina C |last5=Cook |first5=James M |last6=Spurr |first6=Cameron J |date=2020-06-02 |title=The Role of Flies as Pollinators of Horticultural Crops: An Australian Case Study with Worldwide Relevance |journal=Insects |language=en |volume=11 |issue=6 |pages=341 |doi=10.3390/insects11060341 |issn=2075-4450 |pmc=7349676 |pmid=32498457 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Forensic importance== Blow flies are usually the first insects to come in contact with carrion because they have the ability to smell dead animal matter from up to {{convert|1|mi|km|abbr=on|1}} away.<ref>{{cite book |author=Joel Greenberg |year=2004 |title=A Natural History of the Chicago Region |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-30649-0 |chapter=Many more than we know: insects |pages=291–316 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OXA1VVOSUg4C&pg=PA307}}</ref> Upon reaching the carrion, females deposit eggs on it. Since development is highly predictable if the ambient temperature is known, blow flies are considered a valuable tool in forensic science. Blow flies are used forensically to estimate the minimum ''post mortem'' interval (PMImin) for human corpses.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Klong-klaew|first1=Tunwadee|last2=Ngoen-klan|first2=Ratchadawan|last3=Moophayak|first3=Kittikhun|last4=Sukontason|first4=Kom|last5=Irvine|first5=Kim|last6=Tomberlin|first6=Jeffery|last7=Kurahashi|first7=Hiromu|last8=Chareonviriyaphap|first8=Theeraphap|last9=Somboon|first9=Pradya|date=December 2018|title=Spatial Distribution of Forensically Significant Blow Flies in Subfamily Luciliinae (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand: Observations and Modeling Using GIS|journal=Insects|language=en|volume=9|issue=4|pages=181|doi=10.3390/insects9040181|pmid=30513924|pmc=6315425|doi-access=free }}</ref> Traditional estimations of time since death are generally unreliable after 72 hours and often entomologists are the only officials capable of generating an accurate approximate time interval. The specialized discipline related to this practice is known as forensic entomology.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.key-net.net/users/swb/forensics/BF.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013002648/http://www.key-net.net/users/swb/forensics/BF.htm |archive-date=13 October 2006 |title=Blow flies: their life cycle and where to look for the various stages |author=Stephen W. Bullington |work=Forensic Entomology |date=24 July 2001 |access-date=13 January 2012}}</ref>

In addition to being used to estimate the PMImin, assuming colonization occurred after death, blow fly specimens found infesting a human corpse are used to determine if the corpse was relocated or if the individual ingested narcotics prior to death.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

''Calliphora vicina'' and ''Cynomya mortuorum'' are important flies of forensic entomology. Other forensically important Calliphoridae are ''Phormia regina'', ''Calliphora vomitoria'', ''Calliphora livida'', ''Lucilia cuprina'', ''Lucilia sericata'', ''Lucilia illustris'', ''Chrysomya rufifacies'', ''Chrysomya megacephala'', ''Cochliomyia macellaria'', and ''Protophormia terraenovae''. One myth states that species from the genus ''Lucilia'' can sense death and show up right before it even occurs.<ref name="Brundage">{{citation |last=Brundage |first=Adrienne |title=Calliphoridae |publisher=Texas A&M University, College Station |date=13–15 February 2008 }}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Identification== * Fritz Konrad Ernst Zumpt Calliphorinae, in Lindner, E. ''Fliegen Palaearkt. Reg''. 64i, 140 p. (1956) * Fan, C. T. ''Key to the common synanthropic flies of China''. Peking [= Beijing]. xv + 330 p. In Chinese but really excellent illustrations. (1965). * Kano, R. and Shinonaga, S. ''Calliphoridae (Insecta: Diptera) (Fauna Japonica)'', Tokyo Biogeographical Society of Japan, Tokyo.( 1968). In English. * Lehrer, A. Z., Diptera. Familia ''Calliphoridae''. In: Fauna R.S.R., Insecta, vol. XI,(12), Edit. R.S.R., Bucuresti, 1972, 245 p. In Romanian. * Rognes, K. ''Blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of Fennoscandia and Denmark''. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica, Volume 24. E. J. Brill/Scandinavian Science Press Ltd. Leiden.(1991).

==External links== * {{commons category-inline|Calliphoridae}} * {{Wikispecies-inline|Calliphoridae}} * [https://www.diptera.info/photogallery.php?album_id=6 Image Gallery] at Diptera.info * [https://web.archive.org/web/20091206233022/http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/livestock/secondary_screwworm.htm Secondary screwworm] on the University of Florida / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences ''Featured Creatures'' website

Category:Calliphoridae Category:Brachycera families Category:Insect vectors of animal pathogens Category:Insect vectors of human pathogens Category:Taxa named by Friedrich Moritz Brauer Category:Taxa named by Julius von Bergenstamm Category:Necrophages