FLESH FLY

a member of any species of the insect family Sarcophagidae (order Diptera) characterized by blackish stripes on the gray thorax (region behind the head) and a checkered pattern of light and dark gray on the abdomen. Most flesh flies are tropical, although the family is generally widespread. Many species are scavengers with the female depositing immature forms (larvae) on carrion instead of eggs. Other members are insect parasites. One of the best-known species (Sarcophaga kelly) is a grasshopper parasite. The female deposits larvae, or maggots, on the underside of a grasshopper's wings. The maggots burrow into, and feed on, its internal organs; they enter a resting stage (pupa) in the soil. Another Sarcophaga species develops in the pitcher plant as it feeds on trapped insects. The large gray fly, Wohlfahrtia vigil, found in the cooler regions of North America, is usually a mammal parasite and may deposit its young on the skin of infants. Other species deposit eggs in wasp or bee nests.