Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis
| Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Sarcophagidae |
| Genus: | Sarcophaga |
| Species: | S. haemorrhoidalis |
| Binomial name | |
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Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis Fallén, 1817 |
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Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis, also known as the red-tailed flesh fly, is a fly in the Sarcophagidae family. This fly often breeds in carrion and feces, making it a possible vector for disease. The larvae of this species can cause myiasis, as well as accidental myiasis. It is potentially useful in forensic entomology.
Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis was first described by Carl Fredrik Fallén (1764–1830), a Swedish botanist and entomologist, in 1817 during his tenure at Lund University between 1814–1827. Fallén first named this species Musca haemorrhoidalis in 1817 not knowing that Charles Joseph de Villers had already named an unrelated species Musca haemorrhoidalis in 1789. In 1826, Johann Wilhelm Meigen, a German entomologist famous for his pioneering work on Diptera, described the same species that Fallén had described in 1817 as Sarcophaga cruentata following Meigen's description of the genus Sarcophaga. Since two different species can not share the same name, the Sarcophaga cruentata that Meigen coined would serve as the species name. According to Wharton, the exact nomenclature of this species is dynamic and currently has two accepted names: Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis and Bercaea cruentata. Thomas Pape [1], who is considered to be the World's foremost expert on Sarcophagidae uses Sarcophaga but has assigned several subgenera, including Bercaea. Some current workers, including Ferrar, use Bercaea haemorrhoidalis.Sarcophaga comes from the Greek (sarkos-) meaning 'flesh,' and (phag) meaning 'eat.' Haemorrhoidalis comes from Greek roots (haemo-) meaning 'blood,' (rhoos-) meaning 'stream' or 'flowing,' and the Latin (alis) meaning 'extraordinary.'
Sarcophagidae is the dipteran family commonly known as flesh flies, comprising approximately 2000 species. Many species of Sarcophagidae prefer to breed in carrion over other mediums, but there are several species that breed in dung. A large number of species are parasitoids or cleptoparasitoids and never breed in carrion. It is difficult to identify the S. haemorrhoidalis species unless genitalia can be observed. Only males can be identified and classified within the genus. Sarcophagids are rather large in size ranging from 4 to 23 mm, (adults of S. haemorrhoidalis vary in size from 7 to 14 mm). Distinguishing characteristics include a checkerboard like pattern on the abdomen, stripes on the thorax and red eyes. Flesh flies are attracted to anything rotting, including feces. Sarcophagidae are unimpeded by rain and fly in any weather. Because of this trait, Sarcophagidae will often be the first flies to colonize a corpse after an extended period of rain. Flesh flies appear to prefer sunlight over shaded conditions.Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis (Bercaea cruentata) is the one of the most common species of Sarcophagidae recovered from indoor crime scenes in the United States.
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