Sarcophaga aldrichi

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Sarcophaga aldrichi
Scientific classification
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S. aldrichi
Binomial name
Sarcophaga aldrichi
Parker, 1916
Synonyms   [1]

Arachnidomyia aldrichi(Parker, 1916)

The friendly fly or large flesh fly, [1] Sarcophaga aldrichi, [2] is a fly that is a parasitoid of the forest tent caterpillar. It strongly resembles the house fly but is in a different family, the Sarcophagidae, or flesh-flies. [3] It is a little larger than the house fly, and has the same three black stripes on its thorax. It has red eyes, a grayish body, and a checkered abdomen.

In early summer it emerges from pupae in the ground and seeks out forest tent caterpillar cocoons, where it deposits live larvae which bore into the cocoons and feed on the pupating insects, killing them. Eventually the fly maggots drop to the ground and pupate and go dormant over the winter.

Population explosions of this species usually occur during the summer following the one when the caterpillars are plentiful. The friendly fly can be a nuisance, but they don't bite, nor do they spread disease. This species is sometimes referred to as the "government fly", because when the population explosions do occur, sometimes a rumor goes around that the flies were deliberately released by a government agency, in a misguided environmental program. [4]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Attacus atlas</i> Species of moth

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Saturniidae Family of moths

Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, is a family of Lepidoptera with an estimated 2,300 described species. The family contains some of the largest species of moths in the world. Notable members include the emperor moths, royal moths, and giant silk moths.

<i>Saturnia pavonia</i> Species of moth

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Pine processionary Species of moth

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The Lasiocampidae are a family of moths also known as eggars, snout moths, or lappet moths. Over 2,000 species occur worldwide, and probably not all have been named or studied.

Forest tent caterpillar moth Species of insect

The forest tent caterpillar moth is a moth found throughout North America, especially in the eastern regions. Unlike related tent caterpillar species, the larvae of forest tent caterpillars do not make tents, but rather, weave a silky sheet where they lie together during molting. They also lay down strands of silk as they move over branches and travel as groups along these pheromone-containing silk trails. The caterpillars are social, traveling together to feed and massing as a group at rest. Group behavior diminishes as the caterpillars increase in size, so that by the fifth instar (molt) the caterpillars are feeding and resting independently.

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Tent caterpillar Moth larvae from the genus Malacosoma

Tent caterpillars are moderately sized caterpillars, or moth larvae, belonging to the genus Malacosoma in the family Lasiocampidae. Twenty-six species have been described, six of which occur in North America and the rest in Eurasia. Some species are considered to have subspecies as well. They are often considered pests due to their habit of defoliating trees. They are among the most social of all caterpillars and exhibit many noteworthy behaviors.

<i>Hyalophora cecropia</i> Species of moth

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<i>Cotinis nitida</i> Species of beetle

Cotinis nitida, commonly known as the green June beetle, June bug or June beetle, is a beetle of the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in the eastern United States and Canada, where it is most abundant in the South. It is sometimes confused with the related southwestern species figeater beetle Cotinis mutabilis, which is less destructive.

<i>Callosamia promethea</i> Species of moth

Callosamia promethea, commonly known as the promethea silkmoth, is a member of the family Saturniidae, which contains approximately 1,300 species. It is also known as the spicebush silkmoth, which refers to is one of the promethea silkmoth's common host plants, spicebush. C. promethea is classified as a silk moth, which stems from its ability to produce silk, which it does in the formation of its cocoon. C. promethea lives in forests in the eastern U.S. and does not damage the trees on which it lives. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.

<i>Hyblaea puera</i> Moth species in family Hyblaeidae

Hyblaea puera, the teak defoliator, is a moth native to south-east Asia. It was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. The species has also been recently reported to be present in Central America and Africa. The caterpillar feeds on teak and other trees. It is considered to be one of the major teak pests around the world.

<i>Eriogaster lanestris</i> Species of moth

Eriogaster lanestris, commonly known as the small eggar, is a moth of the family Lasiocampidae that is found across the Palearctic. Unlike many other members of the Lasiocampidae, the small eggar is a social insect. Historically, only eusocial insects like ants, bees, and termites were thought to exhibit complex social organization and communication systems. However, research since the late 20th century has found that E. lanestris, among a number of other phylogenetically related moth and butterfly species, demonstrates social behaviors as well. Larvae spend nearly their entire development in colonies of about 200 individuals, and this grouped social structure offers a number of benefits, from thermoregulation to increased foraging success.

<i>Synthesiomyia nudiseta</i> Species of fly

Synthesiomyia nudiseta is one of the largest flies in the family Muscidae. The fly has a pair of forewings; the paired hind wings have been reduced to halteres that help with stability and movement during flight. Key characteristics of this species include plumose segmented aristae, well-developed calypters, and sternopleural bristles. Synthesiomyia nudiseta is a forensically important species because it is necrophilous and can therefore help determine the time of colonization for the post mortem interval with its known life cycle.

<i>Acleris semipurpurana</i> Species of moth

Acleris semipurpurana is a species in the moth family Tortricidae, and one of several species of moth commonly known as oak leaftier or oak leaf tier. The larvae feed on the leaves of oak trees in the Eastern United States and southeastern Canada which can be a major cause of defoliation. The loss of leaves can kill or damage the affected trees, which are chiefly in the Lobatae or red oak section of Quercus, or oaks.

<i>Alsophila pometaria</i> Species of moth

Alsophila pometaria, the fall cankerworm, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841. It is found in North America from Nova Scotia west to Alberta, south to Colorado and California.

<i>Orgyia pseudotsugata</i> Species of moth

Orgyia pseudotsugata, the Douglas-fir tussock moth, is a moth of the subfamily Lymantriinae first described by James Halliday McDunnough in 1921. It is found in western North America. Its population periodically irrupts in cyclical outbreaks. The caterpillars feed on the needles of Douglas fir, true fir, and spruce in summer, and moths are on the wing from July or August to November.

<i>Archips cerasivorana</i> Species of moth

Archips cerasivorana, the ugly-nest caterpillar moth, is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. The caterpillars of this species are known to create nests by tying the leaves of their host plant together. Within the nests, they live and feed off the leaves that have been tied together. The larvae are brownish or greenish yellow with a shiny dark brown head. Larvae can be found from May to July. The species overwinters as an egg, and pupation takes place within the nest. Caterpillars are seen follow one another in trails, a behavior prompted by the release of signaling pheromones from their spinnerets.

Gynaephora rossii, in English known as Ross' tussock moth, is a species of tussock moth in the family Erebidae. It is widespread in the tundras and highlands of the Holarctic. It has large, furry caterpillars which seem to eat mostly saxifrages.

References

  1. 1 2 "Large flesh fly". Insects and diseases of Canada's forests. Natural Resources Canada. March 5, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  2. "Friendly fly". Minnesota Department of Natural Resources . Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  3. "Forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria)". Sugarbush management – a guide to forest pest management. Natural Resources Canada. March 12, 2007. Archived from the original on July 30, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  4. Jeff Hahn (June 15, 2003). "Friendly Flies: Good News, Bad News". Yard & Garden Line News. University of Minnesota. 5 (9). Archived from the original on July 20, 2011.