Black Burying Beetle vs Copper-Bottom Blow Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Burying Beetle Copper-Bottom Blow Fly
Scientific Name Nicrophorus humator Lucilia cuprina
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Silphidae Calliphoridae
Size 18-26mm 9-13 mm
Habitat Hedgerows Farmland
Diet Carrion Feeders Carrion Feeders
Regions Europe Australia, South Africa, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Black Burying Beetle

A large all-black burying beetle with orange-tipped antennae. It buries animal carcasses for its larvae.

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Did You Know?

One of the largest burying beetles in Europe and can inter a mouse-sized carcass in just a few hours.

Copper-Bottom Blow Fly

A metallic green-gold blow fly that is the most destructive cause of sheep blowfly strike in Australia and South Africa. Females lay eggs in soiled wool, and larvae burrow into the skin, causing severe tissue destruction. It has developed resistance to multiple insecticides used for livestock protection.

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Did You Know?

Australia loses over 170 million dollars annually to sheep blowfly strike caused by this species.