Calliphora

Calliphora vomitoria, copyright Jens Buurgaard Nielsen.

Belongs within: Calliphorinae.

Calliphora, bluebottles, is a cosmopolitan genus of blow flies including some of the most familiar synanthropic species. The genus has its highest diversity in Australia, Africa and the Holarctic region, with few species in the Neotropics (Vargas & Wood 2010). Species include the cosmopolitan bluebottle C. vomitoria whose larvae feed on carrion and other decaying matter. The subgenera Neocalliphora, Papuocalliphora and Paracalliphora are found in the Australo-Pacific region; other subgenera are more widespread in the Old World and the Americas (Peris & González-Mora 2004). The Palaearctic species Calliphora grahami (also introduced to western North America) lacks the presutural intra-alar seta found in members of other subgenera. Members of th subgenus Acrophaga are characterised by the combination of a white lower calypter and a posterior notch on tergite 5 in females (Shewell 1987).

Characters (from Peris & González-Mora 2004): Antenna with first flagellomere more than twice length of pedicel; arista usually pilose or plumose. Parafacials nearly bare. Thorax with three pairs post-sutural acrostichal setae; no or one pair pre-sutural interalar setae, two pairs post-sutural interalar setae. Subcostal sclerite without black setae; costa ventrally bare below junction with r₁, dorsally setulose between junctions with Sc and r₁. Lower calypter, coloration pale or dark with pruinosity on majority of surface; postalar wall without setae. Abdomen dark, metallic blue, usually more or less pruinose, may have patches of yellow coloration.

<==Calliphora Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 [=Mya Rondani 1850 non Linnaeus 1758, Somomya Rondani 1861] PG-M04
    |--C. (Calliphora) PG-M04
    |    |--*C. (C.) vomitoria (Linnaeus 1758) [=Musca vomitoria, *Mya vomitoria, *Somomya vomitoria] PG-M04
    |    |--C. (C.) loewi Enderlein 1903 F92
    |    |--C. (C.) nigribarbis Vollenhoven 1863 [incl. C. lata Coquillett 1898] F92
    |    |--C. (C.) pattoni Aubertin 1931 F92
    |    |--C. (C.) sinensis Ho 1936 F92
    |    |--C. (C.) tianshanica Rohdendorg 1962 F92
    |    |--C. (C.) uralensis Villeneuve 1922 F92
    |    |--C. (C.) vicina Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 [incl. C. erythrocephala (Meigen 1826)] F92
    |    `--C. (C.) zaidamensis Fan 1965 [incl. C. sajlugemica Grunin 1970] F92
    |--C. (Abago Grunin 1966) PG-M04
    |    `--C. (*A.) rohdendorfi (Grunin 1966) [=*Abago rohdendorfi] PG-M04
    |--C. (Abonesia Villeneuve 1927) PG-M04
    |    `--C. (*A.) genarum (Zetterstedt 1838) PG-M04 (see below for synonymy)
    |--C. (Acronesia Hall 1948) PG-M04
    |    |--C. (*A.) aldrichina (Shannon 1923) [=Steringomyia aldrichina] PG-M04
    |    |--C. (A.) alaskensis F92
    |    |    |--C. a. alaskensis F92
    |    |    `--C. a. echinosa Grunin 1970 F92
    |    `--‘Acronesia’ montana S87
    |--C. (Acrophaga Brauer & Bergenstamm 1891) [incl. Stobbeola Enderlein 1935] PG-M04
    |    |--C. (*A.) stelviana (Brauer & Bergenstamm 1891) (see below for synonymy) PG-M04
    |    |--C. (A.) chinghaiensis Van & Ma 1978 F92
    |    `--‘Acrophaga’ subalpina S87
    |--C. (Aldrichina Townsend 1934) [=Aldrichiella Rohdendorf 1931 (preoc.)] PG-M04
    |    `--C. (*A.) grahami Aldrich 1930 [=*Aldrichiella grahami] PG-M04
    |--C. (Eucalliphora Townsend 1908) PG-M04
    |    `--‘Musca’ lilaea Walker 1849 [incl. Calliphora latifrons Hough 1849, *Eucalliphora latifrons] PG-M04
    |--C. (Neocalliphora Brauer & Bergenstamm 1891) (see below for synonymy) PG-M04
    |    |--‘Musca’ quadrimaculata Swederus 1787 (see below for synonymy) PG-M04
    |    |--‘Ochromyia’ hyalipennis Macquart 1851 [=*Adichosia hyalipennis; incl. C. nigrothorax Malloch 1927] PG-M04
    |    |--C. (N.) ochracea Schiner 1868 [incl. Ochromyia flavipennis Macquart 1851, *Amphibolosia flavipennis] PG-M04
    |    `--C. (N.) stygia (Fabricius 1781) PG-M04 (see below for synonymy)
    |--C. (Papuocalliphora Kurahashi 1971) PG-M04
    |    `--C. (*P.) toxopeusi Theowald 1957 PG-M04
    |--C. (Paracalliphora Townsend 1916) [incl. Proekon Surcouf 1920, Tricyclopsis Townsend 1916] PG-M04
    |    |--C. (P.) augur (Fabricius 1775) CM91, PG-M04 (see below for synonymy)
    |    `--C. dubia (Macquart 1855) W01, PG-M04 [=Rhynchomyia dubia PG-M04, *Tricyclopsis dubia PG-M04]
    |--C. (Steringomyia Pokorny 1889) PG-M04
    |    `--C. (*S.) stylifera (Pokorny 1889) [=*Steringomyia stylifera] PG-M04
    `--C. (Triceratopyga Rohdendorf 1931) PG-M04
         `--C. (*T.) calliphoroides (Rohdendorf 1931) PG-M04 (see below for synonymy)

Calliphora incertae sedis:
  C. accepta LP10
  C. albifrontalis W01
  C. canimicans W01
    |--C. c. canimicans W01
    `--C. c. bezzii W01
  C. centralis W01
  C. fallax W01
  C. fulvicoxa W01
  C. gilesi W01
  C. groenlandica K01
  C. hilli W01
  C. interrupta B06
  C. irazuana VW10
  C. laemica H74
  C. livida S87
  C. macleayi W01
  C. marginalis (Wiedem. 1828) [=Lucilia marginalis, Somomyia marginalis] R01
  C. maritima W01
  C. nigrithorax W01
  C. nociva CM91
  C. splendens PG-M04
  C. sternalis LP10
  C. terraenovae VW10
  C. tibialis LP10
  C. varifrons W01
  C. varipes [=Ptychosoma varipes] R55

Calliphora (*Abonesia) genarum (Zetterstedt 1838) PG-M04 [=Musca genarum PG-M04, Acrophaga genarum S87; incl. Calliphora erectiseta Fan 1957 F92]

Calliphora (*Acrophaga) stelviana (Brauer & Bergenstamm 1891) [=*Acrophaga stelviana; incl. *Stobbeola norwegica Enderlein 1935; Acrophagini] PG-M04

Calliphora (Neocalliphora Brauer & Bergenstamm 1891) [incl. Adichosia Surcouf 1920, Adichosiops Townsend 1932, Amphibolosia Surcouf 1920, Neopollenia Brauer 1901, Trichocalliphora Townsend 1915] PG-M04

Calliphora (Neocalliphora) stygia (Fabricius 1781) PG-M04 [=Musca stygia PG-M04, Anastellorhina stygia R55, *Neopollenia stygia PG-M04; incl. C. villosa Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 PG-M04, *Trichocalliphora villosa PG-M04]

Calliphora (Paracalliphora) augur (Fabricius 1775) CM91, PG-M04 [=Musca augur PG-M04; incl. Ochromyia lateralis Macquart 1843 PG-M04, *Proekon lateralis PG-M04, Calliphora oceaniae Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 PG-M04, *Paracalliphora oceaniae PG-M04]

Calliphora (*Triceratopyga) calliphoroides (Rohdendorf 1931) PG-M04 [=*Triceratopyga calliphoroides PG-M04; incl. C. axata Séguy 1946 F92]

‘Musca’ quadrimaculata Swederus 1787 [=*Adichosiops quadrimaculata; incl. C. dasyphthalmina Macquart 1843, *Neocalliphora dasyphthalmina] PG-M04

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B06] Brèthes, J. 1906. Sarcophaga caridei, una nueva mosca langosticida. Anales del Museo Nacional de Buenos Aires, serie 3, 6: 297–301.

[CM91] Colless, D. H., & D. K. McAlpine. 1991. Diptera (flies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 717–786. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[F92] Fan Z. 1992. Key to the Common Flies of China 2^nd ed. Science Press: Beijing.

[H74] Helson, G. A. H. 1974. Insect Pests: Identification, life history, and control of pests of farms, horticulture, gardens, and public health. A. R. Shearer, Government Printer: Wellington (New Zealand).

[K01] Kertész, K. 1901. Legyek [Dipteren]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 179–201. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.

[LP10] Lomholdt, O., & W. J. Pulawski. 2010. A revision of the wasp genus Sericophorus F. Smith, 1851 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Crabronidae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, series 4, 61 (1): 1–234.

[PG-M04] Peris, S. V., & D. González-Mora. 2004. Clave de identificación para los géneros de Calliphoridae del mundo. Subfamilias con vena remigium desnuda y creación de una nueva subfamilia. Bol. R. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. (Sec. Biol.) 99 (1–4): 115–144.

[R55] Rayment, T. 1954. Taxonomy, morphology and biology of sericophorine wasps with diagnoses of two new genera and descriptions of forty new species and six sub-species. Memoirs of the National Museum, Melbourne 19: 11–105.

[R01] Ricardo, G. 1901. Notes on Diptera from South Africa (concluded). Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 7: 89–110.

[S87] Shewell, G. E. 1987. Calliphoridae. In: McAlpine, J. F. (ed.) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 2 pp. 1133–1145. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.

[VW10] Vargas, J., & D. M. Wood. 2010. Calliphoridae (blow flies). In: Brown, B. V., A. Borkent, J. M. Cumming, D. M. Wood, N. E. Woodley & M. A. Zumbado (eds) Manual of Central American Diptera vol. 2 pp. 1297–1304. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[W01] Wallman, J. F. 2001. A key to the adults of species of blowflies in southern Australia known or suspected to breed in carrion. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 15: 433–437.

Last updated: 4 July 2021.