Sarcophagidae () are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

flies Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

commonly known as flesh flies. They differ from most flies in that they are

ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

, opportunistically depositing hatched or hatching

maggot A maggot is the larva of a fly (order Diptera); it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachycera flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and crane flies. ...

s instead of eggs on

carrion Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures, c ...

, dung, decaying material, or open wounds of mammals, hence their common name. Some flesh fly larvae are internal

parasites Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted structurally to this way of lif ...

of other insects such as

Orthoptera Orthoptera () is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – grassho ...

, and some, in particular the

Miltogramminae The Miltogramminae are a subfamily of the family Sarcophagidae. They are kleptoparasites of solitary bees and solitary wasps (not eusocial species). Genera *'' Aenigmetopia'' Malloch, 1930 *'' Alusomyia'' Villeneuve, 1933 *'' Ambouya'' ...

, are

kleptoparasite Kleptoparasitism (etymologically, parasitism by theft) is a form of feeding in which one animal deliberately takes food from another. The strategy is evolutionarily stable when stealing is less costly than direct feeding, which can mean when fo ...

s of solitary

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order (biology), order of insects, comprising the sawfly, sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are Par ...

. The adults mostly feed on fluids from animal bodies, nectar, sweet foods, fluids from animal waste and other organic substances. Juveniles need protein to develop and may be laid on carrion, dung or sweet plant foods (including fruit, nuts, and artificial foodstuffs).

Diagnostic characteristics

Members of the subfamily Sarcophaginae are small to large flies with black and gray longitudinal stripes on the

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

and checkering on the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

. Other key features include red eyes and a bristled abdomen. Abdominal sternites II and III are free and cover the margins of tergites. The posthumeral bristles are one or two in number, with the outermost pair missing. The presutural bristle is located lower than the notopleural bristle, and closer to the notopleural bristle than to the outermost posthumeral bristle. The presutural bristle is located higher than or level with the posthumeral bristle. The hindmost posthumeral bristle is located even with or toward the midline from the presutural bristle. Four notopleural bristles are present and arranged in the order - short, long, short, long - from front to rear. Vein M1 +2 (anterior transverse vein, medial vein 1+2 ) is always present, and the cubitulus is strongly bent at right angles or acute; vein Rs is dibranched. The eyes are smooth and very rarely hairy. The arista is plumose in its basal half, or rarely pubescent or glabrous.

Taxonomy

The family contains three

subfamilies In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

, the

Paramacronychiinae Paramacronychiinae is a subfamily of flesh flies (insects in the family Sarcophagidae). Genera These 23 genera belong to the subfamily Paramacronychiinae: * '' Agria'' Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 * '' Angiometopa'' Brauer & von Bergenstamm, 1889 ...

, and the

Sarcophaginae Sarcophaginae is a subfamily of flesh flies (insects in the family Sarcophagidae Sarcophagidae () are a family of flies commonly known as flesh flies. They differ from most flies in that they are ovoviviparous, opportunistically depositing hat ...

, containing between them 108

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

. About 2500 species are in this family.

Biology

Diptera Sarcophagidae Miltogramminae Craticulina showing arista Kleptoparasite of Philanthus (cropped)

Sarcophaginae : The majority of species in the large genus ''

Sarcophaga ''Sarcophaga'' is a genus of true flies and the type genus of the flesh-fly family (Sarcophagidae). The members of this cosmopolitan genus are frequently known as common flesh flies. This genus occurs essentially worldwide. These flies are gene ...

'' are

scavenger Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a herbivorous feeding b ...

s of small carrion, such as dead insects and snails or smaller vertebrates. A few species feed on larger vertebrate carcasses. Flesh fly maggots occasionally eat other larvae, although this is usually because the other larvae are smaller and get in the way. Flesh flies and their larvae are also known to eat decaying vegetable matter and

excrement Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...

, and they may be found around

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...

piles and pit

latrine A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility that is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground (pit latrine), or m ...

s. Miltogramminae : Members of this subfamily are kleptoparasites of

solitary bees Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfami ...

and solitary wasps. Paramacronychiinae : This subfamily includes lepidopteran predators or parasitoids ('' Agria''), predators on immatures (mainly prepupae) of bumblebees (''

Brachicoma ''Brachicoma'' is a genus of true flies in the family Sarcophagidae. Species *'' B. asiatica'' Rohdendorf & Verves, 1979 *'' B. borealis'' Ringdahl, 1932 *'' B. devia'' ( Fallén, 1820) *'' B. nigra'' Chao & Zhang, 1988 *'' B. papei'' Verves, 19 ...

'') and generalist scavengers and insect predators (''

Sarcophila ''Sarcophila'' is a genus of true flies in the family Sarcophagidae. Species *'' S. botnariuci'' Lehrer & Oprisan, 2011 *'' S. canaanita'' Lehrer, 2007 *'' S. dayanella'' Lehrer, 2003 *'' S. japonica'' ( Rohdendorf, 1962) *'' S. latifrons'' ( Fa ...

'' and ''

Wohlfahrtia ''Wohlfahrtia'' is a genus of flesh flies in the family Sarcophagidae. There are at least 20 described species in ''Wohlfahrtia''. Species These 28 species belong to the genus ''Wohlfahrtia'': *'' Wohlfahrtia africana'' Verves, 1985 *'' Wohlfa ...

'').

Association with disease

Flesh flies can carry

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

bacilli and can transmit intestinal pseudomyiasis to people who eat their larvae. Flesh flies, particularly ''

Wohlfahrtia magnifica ''Wohlfahrtia magnifica'', the spotted flesh fly, or sometimes called the screwworm fly, though species of flies from other families go by this name. It is a species of fly belonging to the family Sarcophagidae . The adults are about 6–10 ...

'', can also cause

myiasis Myiasis is the parasitic infestation of the body of a live animal by fly larvae (maggots) which grow inside the host while feeding on its tissue. Although flies are most commonly attracted to open wounds and urine- or feces-soaked fur, some spec ...

in animals, mostly to sheep, and can give them

blood poisoning Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

, or asymptomatic leprosy infections.

Identification

Generally, only males of this family can reliably be identified to species, and then only by examination of dissected genitalia. The literature is incomplete or scattered for all regions. References include: * Rokuro Kano; Gordon Field; Satoshi Shinonaga ''Fauna Japonica: Sarcophagidae (Insecta: Diptera)'' Biogeographical Society of Japan; distributor: Tokyo Electrical Engineering College Press, 1967.In English. * Downes, W. L., Jr. ''Family Sarcophagidae'' in Stone, A. et al. ''A catalog of the Diptera of America north of Mexico'' United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 1965. * Lehrer, A.Z. . ''Sarcophaginae et Paramacronychiinae du Proche Orient (Insecta, Diptera, Sarcophagidae''). Pensoft Series Faunistica 60, ISSN 1312-0174. , Pensoft Publishers, Sofia-Moscow, 165x240, keys, species descriptions, b/w drawings and photos, references, index. In French.(2006). * Lehrer, A.Z., ''Sarcophaginae de l'Afrique (Insecta, Diptera, Sarcophagidae)'' In: Entomologica, Bari, 37(2003):5-528 (in French) * Lehrer, A.Z., ''Taxonomic Atlas of the postabdominal structures Sarcophagidae (Insecta, Diptera). Vol. 1'' In: Entomologica, Bari, 42 (2010):3-459. * Pape, T. ''The Sarcophagidae (Diptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark''.

Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica ''Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica'' is a scientific book series of entomological identification manuals for insects (and other terrestrial arthropods) in North-West Europe, mainly Fennoscandia and Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian s ...

, 19 . Hardback 203 pp., 2 col. plates, 424 figures, in English, 1987. * Pape, T. 1998. Sarcophagidae. - pp. 649–678 in: Papp, L. & Darvas, B. (eds), Contributions to a manual of Palaearctic/European Diptera. Science Herald; Budapest. * Pape, T. 1996. Catalogue of the Sarcophagidae of the world (Insecta: Diptera).''Memoirs of Entomology International'' 8: 1–558. * Rohdendorf, B. B. ''Family Sarcophagidae'' in Bei-Bienko, G. Ya. ''Keys to the Insects of the European part of the USSR'' Fauna SSR (NS) 12: xv, 1–496. n Russian; English translation 1988, pp. 1021–1096; Washington, D.C.* Rohdendorf, B. B., 1930-1975 ''Sarcophaginae'', in Lindner, E. ''Fliegen die Palaearktischen Region''. 11 64h, 1–232;1985, 64h. ''Sarcophaginae'' (Lieferung 330) 1–297;1993 64h. ''Sarcophaginae'' (Lieferung 331) 1–441, 90 Abbildungen (figures). * Venturi, F., 1960. Sistematica e geonemia dei Sarcofagidi (escl. Sarcophaga s.l.) italiani (Diptera). ''Frustula Entomologica'', 2 (7): 1–124. * Verves, Yu.G., 1986. ''Family Sarcophagidae''. In: Soós Á. & Papp L. (eds.), ''Catalogue of Palaearctic Diptera'', 12. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest - Elsevier, Amsterdam: 58-193

Catalogues

* Pape, T. 1996. Catalogue of the Sarcophagidae of the world (Insecta: Diptera). ''Memoirs of Entomology International'' 8: 1–558. * Lehrer, A.Z., 2000, Le système taxonomique des Sarcophaginae afrotropicales (Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Entomologica, Bari, 34:41-63. * Lehrer, A.Z., 2003, Sarcophaginae de l'Afrique (Insecta, Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Entomologica, Bari, 37:5-528.

Principal bibliographic sources

* Baranov, N. (1925), Neue Dipteren aus Serbien. – Let. Pol. Odl. Kontr. Sta. Topcideru, Belgrad, 1:1-11. * Baranov, N. (1941), Zweiter Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Gattung Sarcophaga (s.l.). Vet. Arh., 11:361-404 n Croatian and German * Becker, T. (1908), Dipteren der Kanarischen Inseln. Mitt. zool. Mus. Berlin, 4:1-180. * Böttcher, G. (1912), Die männlichen Begattungswerkzeuge der Arten bei dem Genus Sarcophaga Meigen. und ihre Bedeutung für die Abgrenzung der Arten. Dtsch. ent. Z., 525–544, 705–736. * Bôttcher, G. (1913), Die männlichen Begattungswerkzeuge der Arten bei dem Genus Sarcophaga Meigen. und ihre Bedeutung für die Abgrenzung der Arten. Dtsch. ent. Z., 1-16, 115–130, 239–254, 351–377. * Brauer, F. & Bergenstamm, J.E., (1889), Die Zweiflügler des Keiserlichen zu Wien. IV. Vorarbeiten zu einer Monographie der Muscaria Schizometopa (exclusive Anthomyidae). Pars I. Denkschr. Akad. Wiss., Wien, 56:69-180. * Brauer, F. & Bergenstamm, J.E., (1891), Die Zweiflügler des Keiserlichen zu Wien. V. Vorarbeiten zu einer Monographie der Muscaria Schizometopa (exclusive Anthomyidae). Pars II. Denkschr. Akad. Wiss., Wien, 58:39-446. * Enderlein, G. (1928a), Klassification der Sarcophagiden. Sarcophagiden-Studien I. Arch. klassifik. phylogeny. Ent., 1:1-56. * Enderlein, G. (1928b), Sarcophgiden-Studien II. Konowia, 7:147-153. * Enderlein, G. (1936), 22. Ordnung: Zweiflügler, Diptera. Die Tierwelt Mitteleuropas. Vol. 6, Insekten, Teil III, Abt. 16:1-259. * Fan, Zi-De (1965), Key to the common synanthropic flies of China. Academy of Sciences, Peking, XV + 1–330. * Fan Zi-De (ed.), 1992, Key to the common flies of China. Second Edition. Shanghai Institute of Entomology, Academia Sinica. 992p + 40 pl. * Kano, R., Flield, G. & Shinonaga, S. (1967), Sarcophagidae (Insecta: Diptera). Fauna Japonica 7:1-168 + 41 pls. * Lehrer, A.Z., (1974), Diptères myiasigènes de la superfamille Sarcophagidea de Roumanie. Acta Rer. Nat. Mus. Nat. Slov., Bratislava, 20:125-159. * Lehrer, A.Z., (2000a). Le système taxonomique des Sarcophaginae afrotropicales (Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Entomologica, Bari, 34:41-63. * Lehrer, A.Z. (2000b), La structure de l’abdomen des Sarcophaginae (Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Entomologica, Bari, 34:153-169. * Lehrer, A.Z., (2003a), Revision du genre Wohlfahrtia Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1889 de la faune d’Israël (Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Entomol. Croat., 7, nr. 1-2: 15–33. * Lehrer, A.Z., (2003b), Sarcophaginae de l’Afrique (Insecta, Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Entomologica, Bari, 37 :5-528. * Lehrer, A.Z., (2005), Nouveaux Sarcophagides afrotropicaux et orientaux (Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Entomologica, Bari, 39,:5-59. * Lehrer, A.Z., 2006, Sarcophaginae et Paramacronychiinae du Proche Orient (Insecta, Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Pensoft, 1–263. * Lehrer, A.Z., 2008, Le statut taxonomique des espèces "''Musca carnaria'' Linnaeus, 1758" et ''Sarcophaga carnaria'' Bottcher, 1912 (Diptera, (Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Fragmenta Dipterologica, 13:15-1

* Lehrer, A.Z., 2010, Taxonomic Atlas of the postabdominal structures. SARCOPHAGIDAE (Insecta, Diptera), vol. 1, Entomologica, Bari, 42 : 3–459, 418 figs. * Lehrer, A. Z. & Fromunda V., 1986, Le développement larvaire du diptèremyiasigène Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Schiner) (Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Bull. Ann. Soc. r. bege Ent., 122:129-136 * Lehrer A., Lehrer M. & Verstraeten C., 1988, Les myiases causées aux moutons de Roumanie par Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Schiner) (Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Ann. Méd. Vét., 132:475-481. * Lehrer, A. Z. & Luciano P., 1980, Sarcophagides (Diptera) parasites de ''Porthetria dispar'' (L.) en Sardaigne et leur cartographie dans le reseau U.T.M. Studi Sassaresi, Sez. III, Ann. Fac. Agraria Univ. Sassari, 27:161- 173. * Lehrer, A. Z. & Verstraeten C., 1991, Expansion parasitologique et géographique de Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Schiner) (Diptera, Sarcophagidae) en Roumanie. Bull. Rech. Agron. Gembloux, 26(4):563-567. * Leonide, J. & Leonide J.-C. (1986), Les diptères sarcophagidés des orthoptères français – essai biotaxonomie. Université de Provence (Aix-en-Provence), 1–301. * Meigen, J.W. (1826), Systematische Beschreibung der bekannten europäischen zweiflügeligen Insekte. Fünfter Teil, Schulz, Hamm., 1–412. Mihàlyi, F. (1975), Beschreibung vier neuer Sarcophagidae Arten aus Ungarn (Diptera), Acta zool. hung., 21:101-108. * Mihàlyi, F., (1979b), Fémeslefgyek - Húslegyek. Calliphoridae – Sarcophagidae. Fauna Hung., 135:1-152. * Pape, T. (1987), The Sarcophagidae (Diptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Fauna ent. scand., 19:1-203. * Pape, T., 1996, Catalogue of the Sarcophagidae of the World (Insecta:Diptera). Mem. on Entomology, Intern., vol. 8, 558 p. * Povolny D. & Verves, YU.G. (1997), The flesh-flies of Central Europa (Insecta, Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Spixiana. Supplement, München, 24 :1-260. * Rohdendorf, B.B. (1937), Fam. Sarcophagidae. (P. 1). Faune de l'URSS, 19:1-501 n Russian with German summary * Salem, H.H. (1935), The Egyptian species of the genus Sarcophaga. Publ. Egypt. Univ. Fac. Med., 5:1-61. * Seguy, E. (1941), Études sur les mouches parasites. 2. Calliphoridae, calliphorines (suite), sarcophagines et rhinophorines de l'Europe occidentale et méridionale, Encycl. ent. (Ser. A), 21:1-436. * Senior-White, R.A., Aubertin, D. & Smart, J. (1940), Diptera. Family Calliphoridae. The fauna of British India, including the remainder of the Oriental Region. Vol. VI. London, 1–288. * Thompson, F.C. & Pont, A.C., 1993, Systematic Database of ''Musca'' Names (Diptera). These Zoologicae, 20, 221 p. * Verves, YU. G. (1982), 64h. Sarcophaginae. Die Fliegen der plaearktischen Region, Stuttgart, Bd. 11, Lf. 327:235-296. * Verves, YU. G. (1985), 64h. Sarcophaginae. Die Fliegen der plaearktischen Region, Stuttgart, Bd. 11, Lf. 330:297-440. * Zumpt, F. (1972), Calliphoridae (Diptera Cyclorhapha). Part IV. Sarcophaginae. Explor. Parc nat. Albert, Miss. G.F. de Witte (1933-1935), 101:1-264.

Species lists

NearcticPalaearcticJapan

References

Pape, T., Dahlem, G., Mello Patiu, C.A. de & Giroux, M. 25 June 2010. The World of Flesh Flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae)

Accessed on April 2012

External links

Pape, T. & Carlberg, U. (2001 onwards), A pictorial guide to the Sarcophagidae of the world (Insecta: Diptera)."Sarcophagidae Central" Overview, Identification Annotated bibliography etc.

Diagnostic photographs, descriptions and information; female specimen

Photographs, descriptions and information; female specimen
Images from Diptera infoUseful site for diagnostic features. In easily understood FrenchTotal recoil: Survival of the primmest
Instance of human myiasis. {{Taxonbar, from=Q978302 Coprophagous insects