Sarcophaga (Parasarcophaga) albiceps Meigen

Dowton, Mark & Pape, Thomas, 2013, A key to the Australian Sarcophagidae (Diptera) with special emphasis on Sarcophaga (sensu lato), Zootaxa 3680 (1), pp. 148-189 : 161-162

Sarcophaga (Parasarcophaga) albiceps Meigen

(Figure 35a,b,c)

Sarcophaga albiceps Meigen, 1826

Morphological characters. Gena with setulae a mix of black and yellow/white. Occiput with at least one row of black setulae behind the ocular setae, with setulae only yellow/white ventrally. Prescutellar acrostichal setae present. Proepisternum bare and males with long setulae on the hind tibia. 1st and 2nd abdominal sternites with short setulae in females. Body length 10–15 mm.

Geographical distribution. Australia (Queensland)—AUSTRALASIAN/OCEANIAN, ORIENTAL, PALAE ARCTIC.

Biology. Sarcophaga albiceps breeds in decaying organic matter and has been observed to larviposit on mutton in India and fish in Pakistan ( Shazia et al. 2006; Singh & Bharti 2008). Similar observations have been made of this species breeding in faeces in the presence of carrion in Thailand ( Bänziger & Pape 2004). Sarcophaga albiceps has also been documented causing cutaneous myiasis of buffalo, cows and humans ( Castro et al. 2010). Larvae of S. albiceps are facultative predators of a variety of lepidopteran pupae and hymenopteran larvae.

Taxonomy. The third-instar larva was described by Ishijima (1967).