Animal field guide
Oriental Latrine Fly
Chrysomya megacephala
This blowfly takes its name from its habit of swarming at open latrines in towns and villages of tropical and subtropical Asia. It is often among the first insects to reach a fresh carcass, and females may lay eggs there within hours of death.
AnimalDex card
Unlock this animal card
Scan or capture this animal with AnimalDex to reveal its collectible card and add it to your wildlife collection.
Get AnimalDexOriental Latrine Fly at a glance
Invertebrate · South Asia · Warm lowland and hill country · Relatively common
Known for: Metallic blue-green thorax and rounded abdomen, Very large, Dark bands along the rear edges of the abdominal, Stout
Animal field guide
Oriental Latrine Fly
Sign in to hear this read by a natural AI voice instead of your browser's.
This blowfly takes its name from its habit of swarming at open latrines in towns and villages of tropical and subtropical Asia. It is often among the first insects to reach a fresh carcass, and females may lay eggs there within hours of death.
Native range
Natural range, not this capture location
Warm lowland and hill country wherever people and animals leave waste: villages, markets, fish-drying yards, slaughterhouses, rubbish dumps and pit latrines, as well as farmland and forest edges with carrion or fallen fruit.
Search near meAnimalDex stats
Dominance
5
Speed
26
Size
2
Intelligence
6
Rarity
6%
Total
45
Size scale
STEP 2 · PROVE IT
STEP 3 · BATTLE & FUSE
Understand the animal
Understand the Oriental Latrine Fly
Factual biology first: what this animal is like, where it lives, how it survives, and why those traits exist.
01
Introduction to Oriental Latrine Fly
This blowfly takes its name from its habit of swarming at open latrines in towns and villages of tropical and subtropical Asia. It is often among the first insects to reach a fresh carcass, and females may lay eggs there within hours of death.
How to identify a Oriental Latrine Fly
- Metallic blue-green thorax and rounded abdomen
- Very large, dark reddish eyes filling most of the head
- Dark bands along the rear edges of the abdominal segments
- Stout, bristly body roughly a centimetre long
Why Oriental Latrine Fly are interesting
- Forensic entomologists in much of Asia use it as a key indicator species when estimating time since death.
- It can carry bacteria, viruses and parasite eggs on its body from faeces to food, so it is regarded as a mechanical carrier of disease.
- It has been reared and released to pollinate mango and some seed crops in parts of Asia.
- Its maggots occasionally infest wounds in people and livestock, a condition called myiasis.
02
Adaptations and biological abilities
03
Why does Oriental Latrine Fly behave this way?
- Metallic blue-green thorax and rounded abdomen
- Very large, dark reddish eyes filling most of the head
- Dark bands along the rear edges of the abdominal segments
- Stout, bristly body roughly a centimetre long
Flies by day and is busiest in warm sunshine. At night adults rest on leaves, twigs, walls and ceilings near feeding sites, and they are sluggish in cool early mornings.
04
Why Warm lowland and hill country wherever people and animals leave waste?
Habitat: Warm lowland and hill country wherever people and animals leave waste: villages, markets, fish-drying yards, slaughterhouses, rubbish dumps and pit latrines, as well as farmland and forest edges with carrion or fallen fruit.
Native range: South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Australia & Oceania
Native range
Natural range, not this specific capture location.
Warm lowland and hill country wherever people and animals leave waste: villages, markets, fish-drying yards, slaughterhouses, rubbish dumps and pit latrines, as well as farmland and forest edges with carrion or fallen fruit.
05
Why this diet?
Adults lap liquids from faeces, carrion, rotting fish and fruit, and also take nectar from flowers. Larvae feed in dung, carcasses and other decaying animal matter, softening tissue with digestive secretions.
06
Activity, rest, and lifespan
Flies by day and is busiest in warm sunshine. At night adults rest on leaves, twigs, walls and ceilings near feeding sites, and they are sluggish in cool early mornings.
Adults usually live a few weeks; how long wild flies survive has not been measured precisely.
07
Oriental Latrine Fly reproduction
Females lay batches of up to a few hundred eggs on carrion, faeces or decaying fish. The eggs hatch in about a day in warm weather; maggots feed for several days, then leave the food to pupate in soil. There is no parental care.
In males the eyes meet on top of the head, with a band of noticeably larger facets in the upper part; in females the eyes are separated by a clear gap.
08
Predators, threats, and defense
09
Conservation and rarity
Rarity: Relatively common · 6/100. AnimalDex canonical rarity score: 6/100, maintained by the live indexed species profile.
- Observe from a respectful distance and avoid changing the animal's behavior.
- Do not block feeding, shelter, nesting, or travel routes.
- Use a live camera capture without handling or staging wildlife.
Speak to the animal
Speak to the Oriental Latrine Fly
It answers as itself: ask about how it lives, or bring it something of yours and hear what it would do, from its own Power.
Anonymous: 3/day. Signed-in: 10/day. Pro: 100/day.
Compare
Compare the Oriental Latrine Fly
No matchups written for the Oriental Latrine Fly yet. Pick any animal to put it up against. Compare with any animal →
Battled in the Arena
- 3–0
vs House FlyRoderick Jordan · MochiRoderick Jordan won · Sep 19, 2026
0–1
vs MosquitoAsh Ketchum · Mr monkeyMr monkey won · Aug 15, 2026
Where to find them
Where to find Oriental Latrine Fly
To find Oriental Latrine Fly in the wild, focus on the exact habitat patches that match its body design and daily behavior, not just the broad country where it exists. You usually do better by working one good piece of habitat inside south Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Australia & Oceania than by covering too much ground.
- Forest edge, canopy gaps, fruiting trees, or shaded trails where cover and food meet
- Protected habitat blocks within south Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Australia & Oceania
Where explorers saw it
- Batu, East Java, IndonesiaApr · 1 sighting
Scientific name
Chrysomya megacephala
Category
Invertebrate
Habitat
Warm lowland and hill country wherever people and animals leave waste: villages, markets, fish-drying yards, slaughterhouses, rubbish dumps and pit latrines, as well as farmland and forest edges with carrion or fallen fruit.
Rarity
Relatively common · 6/100
Native range
South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Australia & Oceania
Take the encyclopedia outside
AnimalDex helps you scan real animals, identify species, collect cards, and learn from nature wherever you are.