Specimen Showcase | A Detective with Red Glasses and Golden Head
- Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum
- Mar 10
- 3 min read
In a head-turning competition, no doubt that owls🦉, able to rotate their heads by 270°, would definitely have a serious advantage. But some insects like the praying mantis are not too bad, as does today’s protagonist, a tiny insect with a golden head, greenish-blue shiny armour, big red eyes, and able to rotate its head over 90°, the oriental latrine fly – 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘺𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢 (Fabricius, 1794).
𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘺𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢 is a 🌞🌙diurnal insect belonging to the diverse family of Calliphoridae (Diptera), commonly called “Blow flies,” which includes about 2000 species. The oriental latrine fly originates from the Australasian and Oriental regions, from which it got its common name from the latter. The distribution of the species is, however, now much more 🌎 widespread due to numerous human-induced introductions, including in the Middle East, Africa, South West Europe (Spain, Malta, and Portugal), and North and South America.
The reason why they can make themselves at home 🤪 in every place is due to their high fecundity. A single female can lay 200-300 eggs and produce over 1000 offspring during its lifetime. Moreover, these globetrotter organisms can live in both natural and urban environments but particularly appreciate this latter one. As a result, they are commonly found in human-disturbed environments as it is a paradise where they can feed and breed their offspring freely. These “urban roommates” search through and feed on our leftovers, including sweet substances like overripe fruit, carrion 🥩 (decaying flesh), and feces 💩. Eventually their ecological resilience has contributed to the distribution we observe today. What an opportunist!
Suppose you ever have the chance to greet your roommates 👋🏻. In that case, you can try to recognize if the individual is a male or a female by observing the anterior part of its head. In males, the large red eyes are so close together that they cover most of the upper part of the head. In contrast, those of females are farther apart, leaving a distinct gap between them. Take a closer look; the size of the male’s compound eyes are different (eyes located in the upper area are larger than that of the lower area), whereas the female’s eyes remain unified across the surface.
For most people, flies are often perceived as annoying 😵💫and as vectors 🦠 of pathogens. But actually, flies play significant roles in ecosystems, as well as for us. In nature blow flies feed and breed on decaying corpses, which play an important role in the decomposition process of dead organisms. The larvae secrete enzymes directly into the carrion and liquefy the body tissue. This increases the decomposition rate by making the flesh available to microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi 🧫, with some of the nutrients present being later on integrating as part of the soil layer. This applies as well to human bodies that may be found. For instance, 𝘊. 𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢 is helpful in forensic investigations 🕵🏻♂️. It helps detectives determine the ⏰ time of death since it is one of the first species of blow flies to arrive at a corpse.
Don’t hesitate to visit and check out this particular detective ally in our museum!
Text: Phoebe Leung
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