Common green bottle fly: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the common green bottle fly lives – recorded in 17 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Lucilia sericata
Group	Grasshoppers, bugs & other insects
Found in	17 countries
Continents	Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America
Class	Insect
Order	Diptera
Family	Calliphoridae

Where does the common green bottle fly live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the common green bottle fly in 17 countries and territories across Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. In Portugal it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the common green bottle fly?

The common green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata) is an insect in the order Diptera and the family Calliphoridae, genus Lucilia. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the common green bottle fly

The common green bottle fly or common European green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata) is a blowfly found in most areas of the world and is the most well-known of the numerous green bottle fly species. Its body is 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) in length – slightly larger than a house fly – and has brilliant, metallic, blue-green or golden coloration with black markings. It has short, sparse, black bristles (setae) and three cross-grooves on the thorax. The wings are clear with light brown veins, and the legs and antennae are black. The larvae of the fly may be used for maggot therapy, are commonly used in forensic entomology, and can be the cause of myiasis in livestock and pets. The common green bottle fly emerges in the spring for mating.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Common green bottle fly (revision 1379775264), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q603128 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).