Yellow-Faced Blowfly

Yellow-Faced Blowfly

Cynomya mortuorum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Moscow

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

18 Verified sightings at Moscow
12 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Yellow-Faced Blowfly

Cynomya mortuorum belongs to the order Diptera, sometimes referred to as "true flies". In English, the only common name occasionally used is "fly of the dead" (Totenfliege in German). It has a bluish-green appearance, similar to other Calliphoridae and is found in multiple geographic locations with a preference for colder regions. Belonging to the family Calliphoridae, it has been shown to have forensically relevant implications due to its appearance on carrion. Current research is being done to determine C. mortuorum's level of importance and usage within forensic entomology.

C. mortuorum is a deep blue-green shining metallic fly with a yellowish face and jowls, possessing a body length of 8–15 mm. This fly is a cold-adapted blowfly originally named by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. It lays its eggs on carrion, which provides food for the larvae and facilitates the larvae's development. The development lasts approximately 38 days. As do most blow flies, or members of the family Calliphoridae, C. mortuorum has a life cycle that includes an egg stage, three larval instars, and a pupal form before becoming an adult, or imago. Insects with this kind... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
~10%
2 Copenhagen 🇩🇰 Denmark
<5%
3 Saint Petersburg 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%
4 Moscow 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-Faced Blowfly in Moscow?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Faced Blowfly sighting in Moscow on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 523rd most-seen of the 1111 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Yellow-Faced Blowfly in Moscow?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Faced Blowfly in Moscow on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Yellow-Faced Blowfly?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-Faced Blowfly sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Moscow the best place to see a Yellow-Faced Blowfly?

4th of 4

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Yellow-Faced Blowfly sightings, Moscow ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Helsinki (Finland, about 10%), Copenhagen (Denmark, under 5%) and Saint Petersburg (Russia, under 5%).

Where does the Yellow-Faced Blowfly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Yellow-Faced Blowfly is recorded against all the insects logged in Moscow (18 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.

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