Invertebrates
Bluebottle
Calliphora vomitoria · also called blue bottle fly
Against a sunlit window, a bluebottle buzzes furiously, its metallic blue abdomen gleaming, a fly whose nose can find a carcass across a field.
Overview
The bluebottle, Calliphora vomitoria, is a Not Evaluated blowfly of gardens, farmland, woodland, and buildings across Europe, Asia, and North America. Its metallic body, keen sense of smell, and role in decomposition and forensics make it one of the most recognisable flies in the Northern Hemisphere.
A fly that tells time of death
Because the maggots grow at a predictable rate, forensic scientists can work out how long a body has been exposed by studying the size and stage of the bluebottle larvae on it.
Status
Not Evaluated globally, though common.
Bluebottle: common questions
Why are they called bluebottles?
They are named for their shiny, metallic blue abdomen, which looks like the colour of a glass bottle.
How do forensic scientists use bluebottles?
The stage and size of the maggots on a body are used to estimate how long ago a person or animal died.
How quickly do bluebottles find a dead animal?
They can detect the smell of carrion from a long way off, and females arrive soon after death to lay their eggs.
Where is the bluebottle found?
It lives in gardens, farmland, woodland, and buildings across Europe, Asia, and North America.