Protophormia terraenovae
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Protophormia terraenovae is commonly called northern blowfly, blue-bottle fly or blue-assed fly (blue-arsed fly in British English). It is distinguished by its deep blue coloration and large size and is an important species throughout the Northern Hemisphere. This fly is notable for its economic effect as a myiasis pest of livestock and its antibiotic benefits in maggot therapy. Also of interest is P. terraenovae's importance in forensic investigations: because of their temperature-dependent development and their prominent presence on corpses, the larvae of this species are useful in minimum post-mortem interval (mPMI) determination.
Protophormia terraenovae, of the family Calliphoridae, was named and first described by French entomologist André Jean Baptiste Robineau-Desvoidy in his 1830 "Essai sur les myodaires". Its genus is shared by one other fly, Protophormia atriceps. Both flies are a dark, undusted, metallic blue-green-black. P. terraenovae is differentiated from P. atriceps by its flat face, plumose arista, and by up to 2 additional pairs of setae along the margin of the scutellum. P. terraenovae's specific epithet is translated from the Latin as "of the New... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 2 | Saint Petersburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blackbottle sighting in Saint Petersburg on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 193rd most-seen of the 448 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.
March and April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blackbottle in Saint Petersburg on a given day, against under 5% in May to February, the lowest months.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Blackbottle sightings, Saint Petersburg ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Vienna (Austria, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blackbottle is recorded against all the insects logged in Saint Petersburg (13 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.
