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Chrysomya megacephala

Rango Auiko (MG)

Latrine Blowfly

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Latrine Blowfly; German Schmeissfliege, Blauer Brummer

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Rango (RR), Rango Auika (MG), Rango Kakā (MK MT), Rango Iro (AK), Lango Moana / Lango Matakakā (TS), Rango Moana / Rango Matakakā (TW), Lango (PK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: RANGE circmtropical, incl. Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land; around foods, dead animals, and excreta

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Disease spreader, Nuisance

KEY FEATURES: Glossy, robust fly, 7-10mmBL. HEAD large red eyes; Male eyes meet topside, and have top 60% with distinctly larger facets; Female eyes widely separated topside and entirely with small facets. THORAX and ABDOMEN glossy dark blue to dark green. WINGS transparent.

Enlarged Image of 'Chrysomya megacephala'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++		++++			++++

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			++++

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794)
SYNONYMS: Musca megacephala

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Diptera; CALLIPHORIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Disease spreader, Nuisance. Comments: NBSAP - Te Au-o-Tonga (4 of 11 animal pests), NBSAP - Aitutaki (8 of 10 animal pests)

GENERAL NOTE: Larvae feed as scavengers, and not normally in diseased tissue of mammals (in contrast to the very similar Sheep Blowfly, Chrysomya rufifacies). Adults strongly attracted to exposed foods, especially fish, meat and anything sweet, and to human excreta - hence the name, the latrine fly. Spread intestinal parasites among people and animals.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: one specimen, 1979, N.L.H.Krauss, in BPBM with ID as Chrysomya megacephala. Atiu: 2 specimens, 1976, N.L.H.Krauss, in BPBM with ID as Chrysomya megacephala. Aitutaki: 13 specimens, 1977 & 1979, N.L.H.Krauss, in BPBM with ID as Chrysomya megacephala. Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Chrysomya megacephala.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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