Calliphoridae
Definition
The blowfly family: metallic-coloured flies that are typically the earliest colonisers of exposed remains. Forensically important genera include Calliphora, Lucilia, Chrysomya, and Cochliomyia. Their complete life cycle (egg, three larval instars, pupa, adult) is well-characterised at defined temperatures.
- Family
- Calliphoridae (blowflies)
- Appearance
- Metallic blue or green bodies, medium to large flies
- Forensic timing
- Often arrive within minutes of death in warm conditions
- Key genera
- Calliphora, Lucilia, Chrysomya, Phormia
Common questions
What are blowflies and why do forensic entomologists care about them?+
Blowflies are metallic blue or green flies that colonise exposed remains within minutes of death in warm conditions. They are often the first insects to arrive at a corpse, making them key indicators for estimating the post-mortem interval and understanding the timeline of decomposition.
Which insects belong to the Calliphoridae family?+
The family includes several forensically important genera: Calliphora, Lucilia, Chrysomya, and Phormia. These medium to large Diptera are among the first colonisers of exposed remains with distinctive metallic bodies.
How do blowflies help investigators at a crime or death scene?+
The presence, life stage, and species of blowflies found on remains help entomologists calculate the minimum post-mortem interval. Their predictable colonisation patterns and development rates make them reliable biological clocks for forensic investigation.
Related terms
- Muscidae
- A large family including house flies (Musca domestica) and stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans). Non-metallic, typically dull grey or brown. Secondary or later...
- Post-Mortem Interval (PMI)
- The time elapsed between death and discovery or examination of remains. PMI estimation draws on multiple disciplines: soft tissue decomposition stage, insect...
- Sarcophagidae
- The flesh fly family. Grey or black with longitudinal thoracic stripes and a chequered abdomen. Larviparous (deposit live larvae), so colonisation appears...
- Accumulated Degree Days (ADD)
- The sum of daily mean temperatures above a threshold (usually 0 °C) over a period of interest. Used as a measure of...
- Accumulated Degree Hours (ADH)
- A temperature-corrected measure of developmental time. Calculated by summing (hourly ambient temperature minus the species-specific base temperature threshold) across the period of...
- Blowfly
- Common name for Calliphoridae. The female lays eggs in moist orifices (mouth, nose, eyes, wounds); eggs hatch in 8 to 24 hours...
- Carrion Succession
- The predictable, roughly sequential replacement of insect communities on a decomposing body, driven by changing chemical substrate. Not a strict relay with...
- COI Barcoding
- DNA-based species identification using a standard 658 bp segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. Sequences are matched against reference...
- Flesh Fly
- Common name for Sarcophagidae. Unlike blowflies, the female deposits first-instar larvae directly, so casework often shows live maggots without an egg stage...
- Forensic Entomology
- The application of insect biology to legal investigations, most commonly using the developmental stage and species of insects colonising human remains to...
- Instar
- A developmental stage between moults (ecdysis). Blow flies have three larval instars (L1, L2, L3), each ending when the larva sheds its...
- Larval Instar
- One of three larval stages (L1, L2, L3) separated by moults. Each instar has distinctive mouth-hook and posterior spiracle morphology that allows...
Explained in these topics
- Entomological Evidence and Post-Mortem Interval EstimationThe blowfly family: metallic-coloured flies that are typically the earliest colonisers of exposed remains. Forensically important genera include Calliphora, Lu...
- Flies of Forensic Importance: Blow Flies and Flesh FliesThe blow fly family. Metallic-bodied, medium to large Diptera. Among the first colonisers of exposed remains. Includes Lucilia, Calliphora, Chrysomya, and Phor...
- Forensic Entomology: Insects of Forensic Importance and ApplicationsBlowflies. Metallic blue or green flies, first to arrive at a fresh corpse, often within minutes of death in warm conditions. Includes Calliphora, Lucilia, Chr...