common blow flie vs Little Bluebottle

Calliphora vicina compared with Calliphora stelviana

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	common blow flie	Little Bluebottle
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (สัตว์ขาปล้อง)	Arthropoda (สัตว์ขาปล้อง)
Class same	Insecta (แมลง)	Insecta (แมลง)
Order same	Diptera (แมลงวัน)	Diptera (แมลงวัน)
Family same	Calliphoridae	Calliphoridae
Genus same	Calliphora	Calliphora
Species	Calliphora vicina	Calliphora stelviana

Evolutionary Relationship

common blow flie and Little Bluebottle share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Calliphora.

Conservation Status

common blow flie

LC — Least Concern

Little Bluebottle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	common blow flie	Little Bluebottle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

common blow flie

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (5 countries), and North America (United States).

Little Bluebottle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Sweden, and United States.

common blow flie

The common blow fly (<em>Calliphora vicina</em>) is a large, metallic-blue fly belonging to the family Calliphoridae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and has been recorded across terrestrial and freshwater habitats in Africa, including South Africa, as well as across five European countries and the United States. <em>Calliphora vicina</em> is one of the most familiar blow fly species in temperate regions, often found around human settlements, carrion, and organic waste. It plays an important ecological role as an early colonizer of decomposing animal matter, and its predictable developmental stages make it a key species in forensic entomology for estimating post-mortem intervals. Adults typically feed on nectar, pollen, and decaying matter, while larvae develop in carrion or, occasionally, in wounds. The species is cold-tolerant and often active during cool weather when other blow flies are less abundant. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States