More than a century has passed since carnivorous flies were declared extinct, however, it seems that we were not really looking in the right places as specimens have reappeared in France. A ranger came across a strange insect specimen with a bright orange head and soon consulted entomologists; It turned out to be a carnivorous fly.
The species of fly, whose scientific name is Thyreophora cynophila, was believed to have become extinct more than a century ago. In 1836 it was considered a species that had disappeared due to human causes, thus becoming the first fly to become extinct due to anthropogenic activity modifying livestock management.
Carnivorous flies are also called bearded vulture flies, because they share a characteristic with a bird from the region of the same name. Both flying beings have an orange head, although another reason why carnivorous ‘bearded vulture’ flies receive this name is because they usually nest in the medullary cavity, as well as in the spinal cord of the corpses of animals such as wild boars.
In 2010 it was rediscovered in Spain and that was where biologists realized that the bearded vulture fly was not extinct. To date, the current status of the species is unknown, but a new discovery in France suggests that the species is not extinct, but rather that its nocturnal activity in the deep forest makes it impossible for researchers to observe it.
They nest in bone cavities
The carnivorous fly was first described in 1798 by George Wolfgang Dranz Panzer, at which time he called it ‘hundefliege’ (dog fly in German), because he found it on the corpse of a dog. It is known to live in regions ranging from Spain, through Germany and even Austria.
They are identified by their size, as they usually measure up to 1 centimeter long. Its main characteristic is a bright orange head which makes it the only fly with a colored head. It has metallic blue legs that are the same color as its body, larger than a conventional fly normally measures.
It is known as a carnivorous fly due to the fact that it feeds on corpses and usually nests in large carcasses of crushed bones. Bearded vulture fly eggs have been found in the medullary cavity and bone marrow of cadavers. However, it seems that their activity is rather difficult to detect since they are nocturnal insects, which has made sightings difficult and in that sense, it was declared extinct.