Description
As adults, the genus Lucilia is characterized by a shining green, blue, or bronze thorax and abdomen, a suprasquamal ridge (the ridge above the squamal lobes at the base of the wings) with setae, and no hair on the lower calypter. L. mexicana adults are most commonly differentiated from other Lucilia species by two or more complete rows of black post-ocular setae on the head.
L. mexicana is normally 6–9 mm in length. This species specifically has a metallic blue green thorax with purple tints, a propleuron with black setae and dark brown basal sclerites at the wing. The legs of adults are usually black. The abdomen is similarly colored like the thorax in four segments. The first segment is mainly purple, the second segment may or may not have a row a bristles, the third segment has a row of bristles, and the fourth segment has scattered erect bristles. The head of the species has black cheeks with black vestiture or hairs. The back of the head is also black with an orange colored metacephalon (a region on the posterior of the head) that distinctly shows the two or more rows of post-ocular setae. The main difference between the males and females is that males have their frontal plates separated with a wider frontal vittal and the females have a broader frons and larger head width.
The larvae in the third instar stage of L. mexicana does not have a defined sclerotized head capsule. It has a smooth body and lacks lateral processes. It has eleven posteriorly spinose dorsal segments with a median pair of tubercles on the upper border of the stigmal field. Lucilia larvae have posterior spiracles and tend to be larger larvae ranging from 9–18 mm in length. These larva bodies have peritreme, the area around the spiracles, with three distinct non-sinuous slits. The spiracle plates and button are also not heavily sclerotized.
Read more about this topic: Lucilia Mexicana
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