Sarcophagidae - Flesh flies - Disease Vectors

Flesh flies (Sarcophagidae) differ from most flies in that they are ovoviviparous, opportunistically depositing hatched or hatching maggots instead of eggs on carrion, dung, decaying material, or open wounds of mammals, hence their common name. The adults mostly feed on fluids from animal bodies, nectar, sweet foods, fluids from animal waste and other organic substances. Juveniles need protein to develop and may be laid on carrion, dung or sweet plant foods (including fruit, nuts, and artificial foodstuffs). Flesh flies can carry leprosy bacilli and can transmit intestinal pseudomyiasis to people who eat their larvae. Flesh flies can also cause myiasis in animals, mostly to sheep, can give them blood poisoning, or asymptomatic leprosy infections, Diarrhea, Dysentery, etc. Flesh flies can also carry other diseases, such as polio, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, tapeworms, and Streptococcus. A Flesh fly (Sarcophagidae) is seen "cleaning itself" by rubbing its legs together, it's actually performing a full-body grooming routine, using its legs to wipe away dirt and debris from its entire body, including its wings, face, and even its feet, essentially cleaning itself from head to toe; this behavior is vital for flies as they rely on sensitive receptors on their body for finding food and navigating their environment, on a house window net at noon in the winter at Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on 19/11/2024.