Sarcophaga bullata
| Sarcophaga bullata | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Sarcophagidae |
| Genus: | Sarcophaga |
| Subgenus: | Neobellieria |
| Species: | S. bullata |
| Binomial name | |
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Sarcophaga bullata (Parker, 1916) |
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| Synonyms | |
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| External identifiers for Sarcophaga bullata | |
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| Encyclopedia of Life | 729698 |
| ITIS | 152095 |
| NCBI | 7385 |
Sarcophaga bullata, or the grey flesh fly, is a species of fly belonging to the family Sarcophagidae. It varies in size from small to large, 8 to 17 millimeters in length and is very similar in appearance and behavior to a closely related species, Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis. S. bullata is a common scavenger species in the Eastern United States, but is found throughout the Nearctic region. Identification down to the species level in the Sarcophagidae family is notably difficult and relies primarily on the male genitalia. Though limited information is available regarding S. bullata, it has gained increasing recognition in the field of forensic entomology as a forensically-relevant fly species, as it may be among the first species to colonize human remains. In these instances, recovered maggots may be analyzed for post-mortem interval (PMI) estimations, which may be used as evidence in courts of law. Current studies regarding S. bullata have revealed a maternal effect operating in these flies that prevents pupal diapause under certain environmental conditions, which is an important factor to be considered during forensic analyses.
Classification of the species has also proved difficult, as it has for much of the Sarcophagidae family. C.H. Murran, for instance, included Sarcophagidae in a larger family, Metopidae, that added some Muscidae and some Tachinidae. Most, however, consider S. bullata to be a member of the Sarcophaginae subfamily within Sarcophagidae. Beyond that, the family can be split into tribes before defining genus. S. bullata is widely accepted to be a member of the Sarcophaga genus, but it is also included by some into a subgenus, Neobellieria.
Sarcophaga bullata is approximately 8 to 17 millimeters in length. The head is colored ashen grey, and the arista (hair) of the antenna is plumose (feather-like) only at the base, unlike a Calliphorid fly, whose arista is plumose the entire length. The eyes of S. bullata are bright red in color, and are rather widely separated on the top of the head. On the genae, or cheeks, are long bristly hairs. Two orbital bristles are present on the females, while the orbital bristles are absent on the males.
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Wikipedia