Banded General Soldier Fly vs Green Bottle Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Banded General Soldier Fly Green Bottle Fly
Scientific Name Stratiomys potamida Lucilia sericata
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Stratiomyidae Calliphoridae
Size 12-16 mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Farmland
Diet Nectar Feeders Carrion Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Banded General Soldier Fly

A large, boldly marked soldier fly with a broad flat abdomen bearing yellow lateral markings. Its aquatic larvae are elongate and can breathe through a posterior spiracle at the water surface.

💡

Did You Know?

Larvae can survive in heavily polluted water where most other aquatic insects cannot live.

Green Bottle Fly

A brilliant metallic green fly with large red compound eyes. Medically, its sterile larvae are used in maggot debridement therapy to clean necrotic wounds.

💡

Did You Know?

Medical-grade maggots of this species are approved by the FDA for wound treatment, as they eat only dead tissue and secrete natural antibiotics.