Flesh Fly
Definition
Common name for Sarcophagidae. Unlike blowflies, the female deposits first-instar larvae directly, so casework often shows live maggots without an egg stage on the body.
Related terms
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- Blowfly
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- Calliphoridae
- The blowfly family: metallic-coloured flies that are typically the earliest colonisers of exposed remains. Forensically important genera include Calliphora, Lucilia, Chrysomya, and...
- Carrion Succession
- The predictable, roughly sequential replacement of insect communities on a decomposing body, driven by changing chemical substrate. Not a strict relay with...
- Forensic Entomology
- The application of insect biology to legal investigations, most commonly using the developmental stage and species of insects colonising human remains to...
- Larval Instar
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- Muscidae
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- Post-Mortem Interval (PMI)
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- Sarconecrophagous
- Insects that feed directly on the corpse tissue, such as blowflies and flesh flies. The primary first-wave colonisers of carrion.
- Sarcophagidae
- The flesh fly family. Grey or black with longitudinal thoracic stripes and a chequered abdomen. Larviparous (deposit live larvae), so colonisation appears...
- Sarcosaprophagous
- Insects that feed on the corpse and on the by-products of decomposition, including some Muscidae and dermestid beetles in later waves.
Explained in
- Forensic Entomology: Insects of Forensic Importance and ApplicationsCommon name for Sarcophagidae. Unlike blowflies, the female deposits first-instar larvae directly, so casework often shows live maggots without an egg stage on...