Blue bottle flies are typically 10–14 millimetres (0.4–0.6 in) long, almost twice the size of a housefly.
The head and thorax are dull gray, and the back of the head has long yellow-orange setae.
The abdomen is bright metallic blue with black markings.
Its body and legs are covered with black bristly hairs.
It has short, clubbed antennae and four tarsi per leg.
The eyes are red and the wings are transparent.
The legs and antennae are black and pink.
The chest is bright purple and has spikes for protection from other flies.
To differentiate C. vomitoria from other closely related species such as Calliphora vicina, C. vomitoria can be identified by characteristic "orange cheeks", which are the orange hairs below the eyes.
Additionally, C. vomitoria has a dark basicosta (base of the wing) while C. vicina has a yellow basicosta.
All these characteristics can be identified through a simple photograph.
Blue bottle flies are typically 10–14 millimetres (0.4–0.6 in) long, almost twice the size of a housefly. The head and thorax are dull gray, and the back of the head has long yellow-orange setae. The abdomen is bright metallic blue with black markings. Its body and legs are covered with black bristly hairs. It has short, clubbed antennae and four tarsi per leg. The eyes are red and the wings are transparent. The legs and antennae are black and pink. The chest is bright purple and has spikes for protection from other flies. To differentiate C. vomitoria from other closely related species such as Calliphora vicina, C. vomitoria can be identified by characteristic "orange cheeks", which are the orange hairs below the eyes. Additionally, C. vomitoria has a dark basicosta (base of the wing) while C. vicina has a yellow basicosta. All these characteristics can be identified through a simple photograph.
Calliphora vomitoria