Chrysomya megacephala
Creators: name: Stotelmyre, Lyle Magee
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Calliphoridae
Chrysomya
Chrysomya megacephala

description: Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius 1794)
Musca megacephala Fabricius 1794 317, original description. Type locality: “ Guinea,” error [=?” Ex. Ind. Or. ”; see Patton 1925a: 179].
Musca dux Eschscholtz, 1822:114 [1823:171]. Junior synonym.
Chrysomya duvaucelii Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830: 451. Junior synonym.
Chrysomya gratiosa Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830: 451. Junior synonym.
Musca bata Walker, 1849: 875. Junior synonym.
Musca combrea Walker, 1849: 876. Junior synonym.
Musca remuria Walker, 1849: 871. Junior synonym.
Lucilia macquartii Rondani, 1875: 426. Replacement name for Lucilia flaviceps Macquart 1844: 145, senior synonym; junior primary homonym.
Pollenia basalis Smith, 1876: 449. Junior synonym.
Somomya pfefferi Bigot, 1877: 257. Junior synonym.
Somomya pfeifferi Rye, 1879; unjustified emendation of pfefferi
Somomyia dives Bigot, 1888a: 600. Junior synonym.
Somomya cyaneocincta Bigot, 1888a: 604. Junior synonym.
Distribution: Austral-Asian, Old-World tropics, South Africa, South America, and expanding throughout the United States. It is abundant locally in collections and throughout Baja and Southern California.
Remarks: Apparently introduced into Baja California through commerce. It was first collected along with Chrysomya rufifacies on 20 February 1987 in a restaurant in the port city of La Paz, Baja California Sur on the Gulf of California (Greenberg 1988). The male fly is unique to North American calliphorids in that the upper half of the eyes have larger facets than the lower half. Common names are Oriental Latrine Fly, Old World Screwworm Fly, and Hairy Maggot Latrine Fly.
Material examined: BAJA CALIFORNIA: (literature review): El Mogor, Sierra Juarez, Cerro Santo Tomas, Rio Hardy, San Felipe, Punta Final, Representative voucher specimens 2017–19 Ketzaly Munguia-Ortega (ECSR); MxBC Ensenada, coastal sand dunes, bait trap R. norvegicus, 8–15 Nov 2018 L. Stotelmyre (SDM); BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR: (literature review): La Paz, Baja California Sur, 20 Feb 1987 B. Greenberg (depository unknown), (Greenberg 1988); Baja Calif. Sur, Rancho Las Cruces 6 Nov 1998 D.K. Faulkner (SDM); Mx-BCS Las Gatas, Rancho San Martin, bait trap 12–16 Apr 2018 MA Wall, JE Berrian, L Stotelmyre (SDM); Mx-BCS Punta Arena, coastal sand dunes, bait trap: R. norvegicus 10–18 Jan 2019 Michael Wall (SDM); Mx-BCS El Triunfo, bait trap: R. norvegicus 10–16 Jan 2019 L. Stotelmyre (SDM); Mx-BCS Cabo Pulmo, bait trap: R. norvegicus 13–15 Jan 2019 L. Stotelmyre (SDM); Mx-BCS Punta Arena, coastal sand dunes 18 Jan 2019 L. Stotelmyre (SDM); Mx-BCS La Paz, bait trap: R. norvegicus 10–16 Jan 2019 L. Stotelmyre (SDM); Mx-BCS Loreto, bait trap: R. norvegicus 10–16 Jan 2019 L. Stotelmyre (SDM); Mx-BCX 5 mi. e. San Jose Del Cabo, coastal sand dunes, 12–16 Jan 2019 L. Stotelmyre (SDM).
description: Published as part of Stotelmyre, Lyle Magee, 2024, Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of the Baja California Peninsula, pp. 308-330 in Zootaxa 5468 (2) on pages 314-315, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5468.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/11615867