Phylogenomics and the evolution of larval feeding habits in the blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Authors: BEZA-BEZA, CRISTIAN - University Of Minnesota; SOGHIGIAN, JOHN - University Of Calgary; BAILEY, EZRA - North Carolina State University; JOHNSTON, NIKOLAS - Wollongong Hospital; CASSEL, BRIAN - North Carolina State University; BAYLESS, KEITH - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO); WELLS, JEFFREY - Florida International University; YEATES, DAVID - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO); WALLMAN, JAMES - University Of Technology Sydney; YAN, LIPING - Beijing Forestry University; Hickner, Paul; WIEGMANN, BRIAN - North Carolina State University

Submitted to: Systematic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/28/2025
Publication Date: 12/12/2025
Citation: Beza-Beza, C.F., Soghigian, J., Bailey, E., Johnston, N.P., Cassel, B.K., Bayless, K.M., Wells, J.D., Yeates, D.K., Wallman, J.F., Yan, L., Thomas-Cabianca, A., Hickner, P.V., Grzywacz, A., Meiklejohn, K.A., Torres, T.T., Scott, M.J., Mikaelyan, A., Zhang, D., Cerretti, P., Szpila, K., Pape, T., Wiegmann, B.M., 2026. Phylogenomics and the evolution of larval feeding habits in the blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Syst Entomol 51, e70018.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.70018

Interpretive Summary: Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) occur worldwide and feed on a wide range of substrates including dead tissue (saprophagy), feces (coprophagy), and living animals (parasitism and predation). Understanding their biology is critical for medical and veterinary science. Blow flies thrive across a range of habitats and exhibit complex life histories, with larvae developing immersed in their food substrate while adults are free-living and have diverse feeding strategies. Some species have evolved specialized parasitic associations with both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, a behavior that has important implications for agriculture and understanding evolutionary transitions between saprophagy and parasitism. This study presents a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the blow flies, using information from hundreds of genes. Our results provide a robust and novel reconstruction of the evolutionary history of this group, pinpointing major transitions in larval feeding habits. We argue that saprophagy evolved independently multiple times from invertebrate parasitic ancestors, with vertebrate parasitism emerging from various feeding strategies. These findings challenge prior hypotheses and offer new insights into the adaptive traits driving specialization in feeding strategies in this group.

Technical Abstract: Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) occur worldwide and exhibit a wide range of larval feeding habits, including saprophagy, coprophagy, parasitism and predation. Understanding their biology is therefore critical for medical and veterinary science and ecology. Calliphorids thrive across a range of habitats and exhibit complex life histories, with larvae developing immersed in their food substrate while adults are free-living and have diverse feeding strategies. Some species have evolved specialized parasitic associations with both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, a behavior that has important implications for agriculture and understanding evolutionary transitions between saprophagy and parasitism. This study presents a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the Calliphoridae, utilizing anchored hybrid enrichment to sample hundreds of nuclear genes from a global collection of blow flies and their relatives. Our results provide a robust and novel reconstruction of the evolutionary history of this group, pinpointing major transitions in larval feeding habits. We argue that saprophagy evolved independently multiple times from invertebrate parasitic ancestors, with vertebrate parasitism emerging from various feeding strategies. These findings challenge prior hypotheses and offer new insights into the adaptive traits driving trophic specialization and diversification in this group.