Family: Calliphoridae

Several species of blow flies of different genera may be found around animal production facilities.

Although they breed in animal manure and decaying feed, they are more likely to be found developing in decomposing animal carcasses and sites contaminated with milk or broken eggs.

Blow flies are robust, with a metallic sheen to the body, and variously colored: bright green, blue, bronze-black, copper.

The thorax has no stripes and the bristles are stout. The calliphorids have hypopleural bristles and two notopleural bristles on the thorax. The wing venation is similar to the house fly but vein M1+2 curves sharply forward towards vein R4+5 (Figure 16F ).