Australian Sheep Blow Fly

Australian Sheep Blow Fly

Lucilia cuprina

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Caracas

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

26 Verified sightings at Caracas
9 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Australian Sheep Blow Fly

Lucilia cuprina, formerly named Phaenicia cuprina, the Australian sheep blowfly is a blow fly in the family Calliphoridae. It causes the condition known as "fly strike" (myiasis). The female fly locates a sheep with ideal conditions, such as an open wound or a build-up of faeces or urine in the wool, in which she lays her eggs. The emerging larvae cause large lesions on the sheep, which may prove to be fatal.

L. cuprina is a species of blow fly characterized by a metallic outer appearance and reddish eyes. They usually have a shiny green or greenish/blue abdomen with bronze/coppery reflections. Because of this, Lucilia species are known as the bronze bottle flies. Their body shape is round to oval and their length varies from 4.5–10 mm. They have two pairs of wings, the first pair being membranous wings and the second pair being reduced wings known as halteres, which are used for flight stabilization. Adults are easy to distinguish due to bristles on the meron, in addition to the arista, the prominent hair on the terminal antennal segment being plumose, or feathery. L. cuprina is most easily identified by its strong dorsal setae and black thoracic spiracle. It is almost... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Caracas 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~10%
2 Zhuhai [Macau] 🇨🇳 China
~10%
3 Tel Aviv 🇮🇱 Israel
~10%
4 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
~10%
5 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Australian Sheep Blow Fly in Caracas?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Sheep Blow Fly sighting in Caracas on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 107 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Australian Sheep Blow Fly in Caracas?

March and April

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Sheep Blow Fly in Caracas on a given day, against under 5% in January and July–August, the lowest months. Those are among Caracas's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 120 mm in August.

What time of day is best to see an Australian Sheep Blow Fly?

Between 5 and 8 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Australian Sheep Blow Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Caracas the best place to see an Australian Sheep Blow Fly?

Yes

Of the 21 cities where we can rate Australian Sheep Blow Fly sightings, Caracas has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Zhuhai [Macau] (China, about 10%) and Tel Aviv (Israel, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Australian Sheep Blow Fly live in Caracas?

Same order: Diptera

The closest relatives of the Australian Sheep Blow Fly that you can see in Caracas (order Diptera, Flies) are Ptecticus testaceus (about 10%), Bathroom Moth Fly (about 10%) and Florida Calligrapher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Australian Sheep Blow Fly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Australian Sheep Blow Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Caracas (26 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Caracas