Species and fun facts: Species and fun facts-Sarcophaga crassipalpis
Flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) are commonly found in warm tropical areas, although they do occur in places not suitable for most flies. They are closely associated with humans (synanthropic) and they have been known to enter houses to colonize cadavers (Pohjoismäki 2010). Like their name entails, these flies depend on live or dead tissue to complete their life cycle (Watson and Dallwitz 2003). This family of flies is attracted to many types of dead vertebrate remains, including humans (Nishida 1984). Of the 2,000 known species in this family, 327 are in the United States. Sarcophaga crassipalpis Macquart is commonly used in laboratories to study gene expression, diapause processes, and physiological processes (Lee and Denlinger 1985). It also has a significant impact in other areas of science including parasitology and forensic entomology.
