Green Bottle Fly vs Sabre Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Green Bottle Fly Sabre Wasp
Scientific Name Lucilia sericata Rhyssa persuasoria
Order Diptera Hymenoptera
Family Calliphoridae Ichneumonidae
Size 10-14 mm 25-40 mm body length
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Carrion Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, Oceania Europe, Asia
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.

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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.

Sabre Wasp

The largest European ichneumon wasp, recognized by its black-and-white banded body. It parasitizes the larvae of wood wasps within conifer trunks.

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Did You Know?

She can detect a wood wasp larva through several centimeters of solid timber using her antennae.