Green Bottle Fly vs Cold-water Glacier Midge

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Green Bottle Fly Cold-water Glacier Midge
Scientific Name Lucilia sericata Diamesa cinerella
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Calliphoridae Chironomidae
Size 10-14 mm 3-4 mm body length
Habitat Farmland Rivers & Streams
Diet Carrion Feeders Detritivores
Regions Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, Oceania Europe, Alps, Scandinavia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

Cold-water Glacier Midge

A cold-adapted midge found in high-altitude streams fed by snowmelt. Its larvae are among the first colonizers of newly formed glacial streams.

💡

Did You Know?

Adults can emerge and fly at temperatures just above freezing.