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Family Calliphoridae
- This page contains pictures and information about Snail Parasitic
Blowflies that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
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- The Snail Parasitic
Blowflies are in family Calliphoridae but have
the weak subscutellum and looked similar to Tachinid Flies (Rutiliini)
and originally placed in family Tachinidae.
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- As those larviparous Calyptrate
flies, Ameniinae females give birth large and well developed larvae
(macrolarviparity). It is known that their
larvae are parasites on land snails.
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- The Snail Parasitic Blowflies are from medium to large
in size. They are nectar feeders and
assist the flower plants for pollination.
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- Head
Wings
Scutellum
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- The Amenia genus consist of very large size flies and they are found
only in Australia. They are metallic colours and often boldly marked with
white spots on body. Amenia genus can be distinguished with the
following characteristics;
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- - metallic green, green-blue to dark blue with bright golden face,
- - with weak but distinct subscutellum,
- - with conspicuous facial carina,
- - stem-vein of wing bare,
- - vein M bent angularly forwards,
- - inconspicuously swollen gular area of head,
- - scutellum with six or more marginal bristles,
- - T4 with a regular row of evenly spaced marginal setae,
- - abdomen broader than length,
- - three white dots on each side of thorax.
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- There are ten described Amenia species, five can be found in
Brisbane. We found all of them and listed as below.
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- Amenia imperialis, body length 10mm, female, male
- This Snail
Parasitic Blowfly has the bright yellow head with metallic green body colour. We
distinguished this fly from other Amenia
species by its large bright yellow head and less white dots on body. For
more information please check this page.
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- Amenia chrysmae, body length 10mm, female, male
- This is the smallest Snail
Parasitic Blowfly that we found. They are always emerald or cupreous
green in colours. Please check this page
for more information.
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Amenia leonina Group
- Amenia leonina, body length 12mm, female, male
- This is the medium size Snail Parasitic Blowfly. As
all the Snail Parasitic Blowfly species, they are nectar feeders and
assist the flower plants for pollination. Their larvae are parasites on
land snails. Please click here
for more information.
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- Amenia albomaculata, body length 12mm, female, male
- This Snail Parasitic Blowfly is metallic dark
blue in colour with the bright orange colour face. On the thorax and abdomen
tip there are the shiny white spots
patterns. Please click here
for more information.
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- Reference:
- 1. Wildlife
of Tropical North Queensland - Queensland Museum Publications 2000, p108.
- 2. Wildlife
of Greater Brisbane - New edition, Published by Queensland
Museum 2007, p138.
- 3. Morphometrics in the genus Amenia and revisionary notes on the Australian Ameniinae (Diptera: Calliphoridae), with the description of eight new species - Colless, 1998, Rec. Aust. Mus. 50(1): 85–123.
- 4. A systematic revision of the Ameniinae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) - Crosskey, R.W. 1965, Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist). Entomol. 16: 33-140. (23 August).
- 5. Genus
Amenia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 - Australian Biological Resources Study, Australian Faunal Directory.
[ Up ] [ Calliphorinae ] [ Luciliinae ] [ Chrysomyinae ] [ Rhiniinae ] [ Ameniinae ]
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