Blowfly pupa. Macrophotograph of a pupa of the blowfly Calliphora erythrocephala. The red pupal case has hardened around the larval maggot (head at to

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Blowfly pupa. Macrophotograph of a pupa of the blowfly Calliphora erythrocephala. The red pupal case has hardened around the larval maggot (head at top), and a nymph of the blowfly will begin to form. Metamorphosis of the blowfly begins with eggs laid on a food source, such as rotting vegetation or animal flesh. Eggs hatch into the white maggot within a day, and the maggots pupate in 3-4 days; from pupa to emergence of the adult fly takes 3-5 days. The adult, also known as a bluebottle fly, lives some 2 months and is considered a domestic pest.

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Size: 3603px × 5079px
Photo credit: © CLAUDE NURIDSANY & MARIE PERENNOU/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, blowfly, bluebottle, calliphora, erythrocephala, fly, insect, insecta, invertebrate, invertebrates, metamorphosis, nature, pest, pupa, wildlife, zoology