House flies Family Muscidae
House fly. Photo: R. Major
House fly. Photo: R. Major
Adult house flies usually have spongy mouthparts and feed on fluids such as human perspiration or solid food that can be liquefied by the secretion of fly-saliva upon it. The larvae of many species of house fly are compost and/or dung feeders, although they can also feed on carrion.
The true House Fly, Musca domestica, has been transported world-wide by humans and although the adults are commonly observed feeding on exuded fluid from a corpse, the larvae are usually dung feeders. Adults are most common at corpses in the early stages of decomposition when the corpse is moist.
Another type of House fly, Australophyra rostrata, is attracted to corpses in the later stages of decomposition, after maggots of blowflies have disappeared, but before the corpse is fully dry. The maggots feed on the carrion, but they sometimes also prey on smooth maggots.
Movies
Maggots can consume 60 per cent of a corpse in less than a week. Video footage: R. Major
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