Genus: Sarcophaga Meigen 1826
Subgenus: Parasarcophaga Johnston & Tiegs 1921
Species: albiceps Meigen 1826
Distribution
AUSTRALASIAN/OCEANIAN
� (Australia � Queensland), ORIENTAL, PALAEARCTIC.
Biology
Sarcophaga albiceps breeds in decaying organic matter and has been
observed to larviposit on mutton in India and fish in
Pakistan (Shazia et al., 2006; Singh & Bharti,
2008). Similar observations have been made of this
species breeding on faeces in the presence of carrion in
Thailand (B�nziger and Pape
2004). Also, S. albiceps has
been documented causing cutaneous myiasis of buffalo,
cows and humans (Castro et al. 2010). Larvae of S.
albiceps are facultative predators of a variety of
butterfly (Lepidoptera) pupae and Hymenoptera larvae.
Taxonomy
The third-instar larva was described by
Ishijima (1967).
References
B�nziger,
H., and Pape, T. (2004) Flowers, faeces and
cadavers: natural feeding and laying habits of flesh
flies in Thailand (Diptera: Sarcophagidae, Sarcophaga spp.).
Journal of
Natural History 38,
1677-1694.
Castro,
C.B., Garcia, M.D., Arnaldos, M.I., and Gonz�lez-Mora,
D. (2010) Sarcophagidae (Diptera) attracted to piglet
carcasses including new records for Portuguese fauna.
Graellsia 66, 285-294.
Ishijima, H. (1967) Revision of the third stage larvae of synanthropic flies of Japan (Diptera: Anthomyiidae, Muscidae, Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae). Japanese Journal of Sanitary Zoology 18, 47-200.
Meigen, J.W. (1826) Systematische Beschreibung der bekannten europ�ischen zweifl�geligen Insekten. F�nfter Theil. Schulz, Hamm. xii + 412 pp., pls. 42-54.
Singh, B., and Bharti,
M. (2008) Some notes on the nocturnal
larviposition by two species of Sarcophaga
(Diptera: Sarcophagidae). Forensic Science
International 177, 19-20.
Shazia,
T.M., Suhail, A., and Yousuf, M.J. (2006)
Systematics and populations of sarcophagid flies
in Faisalabad (Pakistan). International
Journal of Agriculture & Biology 8(6),
809-811.