DECOMPOSITION: FLY LIFE CYCLE AND

DEVELOPMENT TIMES
The presence of insects in a corpse is a critical clue towards estimating the time of death for
bodies dead for longer periods of time.

Fly eggs on dead pig

Photographer: Richard Major Australian Museum

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Because flies rapidly discover a body and their development times are predictable under
particular environmental conditions, the time of death can be calculated by counting back the
days from the state of development of flies living on the corpse.

Generalised fly life cycle

Eggs
present in clumps of up to 300
 laying to hatching takes 1 day
Larva - 1st instar
initially feeds on fluid exuded from the body
migrates into body
hatching to first moult takes 1 day
Larva - 2nd instar
moves around in maggot mass
first moult to second moult takes 1 day
Larva - 3rd instar
still moves in mass
greatly increases in size
second moult to pre-pupa takes 2 days
Pre-pupa
migrates away from the corpse seeking a suitable pupation site, (usually in soil)
does not feed
transforms into pupa
pre-pupa to pupa takes 4 days
Pupa
resides within puparium
undergoes transformation from larval body form adult fly
does not feed
pupa to emergence takes 10 days
Adult fly
mates on emergence from pupa
feeds on protein from body fluids
lays eggs on corpse
emergence to egg laying takes 2 days
These development times are generalised. They vary depending on the species and the
temperature.

More about maggots

The larva, or maggot, is the main feeding stage of the fly. On hatching, first-instar larvae are
roughly 2 mm long, growing to about 5 mm before shedding their skin. The second instar
larvae grow to around 10 mm before they shed their skins to become third-instar larvae.
Third-instar larvae grow to between 15 mm and 20 mm before wandering off as pre-pupae.

Apart from the change in size, the overall form of fly larvae varies little between instars. The
most distinctive feature for separating larvae of different instars is the structure of the
posterior spiracles, though which the larvae respire.

Some flies produce predatory maggots that feed on other maggots. The predatory maggots
of Chrysomya rufifacies are covered with spiny protrusions which deter other predators.
Maggots (fly larvae) are remarkable eating machines. Their front ends are armed with mouth
hooks with which they rake in decaying flesh, shredded from the corpse. Their rear ends
consist of a chamber, in which their anus and posterior spiracles are located. (They also
have anterior spiracles). Spiracles are used for breathing, and the possession of spiracles in
a posterior location means that maggots can breath feeding 24 hours a day.

Between their heads and their tails is a muscular, segmented body, a simple intestine and a
pair of very large salivary glands. They wriggle easily through a corpse, secreting digestive
enzymes and spreading putrefying bacteria which help create their soupy environment.

Maggots are gregarious animals and travel around in 'maggot masses'. Their digestive
activities are so intense that the corpse heats up in the vicinity of a maggot mass, sometimes
reaching 53 celsius. It can get so hot inside a maggot mass, that centrally located maggots
have to migrate to the edge to cool down. However, the heat is a bonus, because it increases
the rate of putrefaction, and the rate of digestion.

Maggots moult twice during their development and can grow from 2 mm to 20 mm in length
in four days. Having acquired the necessary nutrients to make a fly, they retire into their
puparia where the transformation occurs.

A female blowfly lays up to 300 eggs at one time, and with numerous females visiting a
corpse, the number of maggots can be immense. For example, 48,562 maggots were found
on a 156 g piece of meat after 24 hours exposure. However, because this was insufficient
food to sustain them, only 231 flies finally emerged. In warm weather, conducive to fly
growth, maggots can consume 60 per cent of a human body in less than a week.

Development times of particular fly species - in hours

This table shows the approximate development times of some Australian fly species (in
hours) at 20C. The life cycles of Australian flies are poorly known - a great area for further
research.

Fly species Egg 1st 2nd 3rd Prepup Pupa Total

instar instar instar a time
(days)

Lucilia 21 31 26 50 118 240 20

sericata

Lucilia 26 33* 33* 24 114 324 23

cuprina

Calliphora 24 48 24 48 96 324 23
stygia
 Fly species Egg 1st 2nd 3rd Prepup Pupa Total
instar instar instar a time
(days)

Calliphora no 24 24 60 96 336 23
augur eggs

Chrysomya 24 36 36 72? 72? 168 17**

rufifacies

Hydrotaea 48* 60* 60* 36* 144 324 28

rostrata

* Data extrapolated from values for combined larval stages

** Approximations only

Data from:
Anderson, G.S. (2000). Minimum and maximum development rates of some
forensically important Calliphoridae (Diptera). Journal of Forensic Sciences. 45: 824-832
O'Flynn, M.A. (1983). The succession and rate of development of blowflies in carrion
in southern Queensland and the application of these data to forensic entomology. Journal of
the Australian Entomological Society. 22: 137-148.
Development times of the Sheep Blowfly, Lucilia sericata, at different
temperatures
Development rate of the Sheep Blowfly, Lucilia sericata, (in hours) at three different
temperatures.

Temp(C) Eg 1st 2nd 3rd Pre- Pup Total time

g instar instar instar pupa a (days)

16 41 53 42 98 148 393 32

21 21 31 26 50 118 240 20

27 18 20 12 40 90 168 14
Data from:
Anderson, G.S. (2000). Minimum and maximum development rates of some
forensically important Calliphoridae (Diptera). Journal of Forensic Sciences. 45: 824-832
Kamal, A.S. (1958). Comparative study of thirteen species of sarcosaprophagous
Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae (Diptera) I. Bionomics. Annals of the Entomological
Society of America. 51: 261-270.