Black Burying Beetle vs Green Bottle Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Burying Beetle Green Bottle Fly
Scientific Name Nicrophorus humator Lucilia sericata
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Silphidae Calliphoridae
Size 18-26mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Hedgerows Farmland
Diet Carrion Feeders Carrion Feeders
Regions Europe Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Black Burying Beetle

A large all-black burying beetle with orange-tipped antennae. It buries animal carcasses for its larvae.

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Did You Know?

One of the largest burying beetles in Europe and can inter a mouse-sized carcass in just a few hours.

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.

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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.