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Australian distribution

Taxonomy

Family: Calliphoridae

Subfamily: Luciliinae

Genus: Lucilia Robineau-Desvoidy 1830

Species: cuprina (Wiedemann 1830)

 

The first- and second-instar larvae were described by Erzinçlioglu (1989) and O'Flynn and Moorhouse (1980). The third-instar larvae was described by Erzinçlioglu (1989) and Holloway (1991). 

Biology

Lucilia cuprina is an extremely common blowfly in Australia. It can be frequently observed around garbage, and is attracted to carrion. It is the most common fly initiating myiasis in sheep and in some areas is implicated in at least 90% of strikes (Waterhouse and Paramonov 1950). Unlike its sister species Lucilia sericata, L. cuprina prefers the drier, more arid areas of Australia (Waterhouse and Paramonov 1950). The species has been rigorously studied due to the animal suffering and economic losses attributed to sheep strikes initiated by it.

The species was introduced to Australia, with the Australian population probably comprising two sub-species, or a hybridisation of the two sub-species. Norris (1990) describes the invasion of the species onto the continent. Wallman et al. (2005) suggest the two sub-species actually constitute separate species based on genetic distinctiveness of the Western Australian and eastern-Australian populations.

Distribution

Lucilia cuprina has been recorded from all Australian states and territories.

Relevant Literature

Erzinçlioglu, Y.Z. (1989) The early larval instars of Lucilia sericata and Lucilia cuprina (Diptera: Calliphoridae): myiasis blowflies of Africa and Australia. Journal of Natural History 23, 1133-1136.

Fuller, M.E. (1934) The insect inhabitants of carrion: a study in animal ecology. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Australia, Bulletin 82, 1-63.

Gilmour, D., Waterhouse, D.F. and McIntyre, G.A. (1946) An account of experiments undertaken to determine the natural population density of the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina Weid. Bulletin of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research 195, 1-39.

Holloway, B.A. (1991) Identification of third-instar larvae of flystrike and carrion-associated blowflies in New Zealand (Diptera: Calliphoridae). New Zealand Entomologist 14, 24-28.

Norris, K.R. (1990) Evidence of the multiple exotic origin of Australian populations of the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Australian Journal of Zoology 38, 635-648.

O'Flynn, M.A. and Moorhouse, D.E. (1980) Identification of early immature stages of some common Queensland carrion flies. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 19, 53-61.

Wallman, J.F., Leys, R. and Hogendoorn, K. (2005) Molecular systematics of Australian carrion-breeding blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) based on mitochondrial DNA. Invertebrate Systematics 19, 1-15.

Waterhouse, D.F. (1947) The relative importance of live sheep and carrion as breeding grounds for the Australian sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina. Bulletin of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research 217, 1-31.

Waterhouse, D.F. and Paramonov, S.J. (1950) The status of the two species of Lucilia (Diptera, Calliphoridae) attacking sheep in Australia. Australian Journal of Scientific Research. Series B. 3 310-336.