Cochliomyia (genus)
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Cochliomyia Townsend, 1915 (screwworms)
This is a small genus of blow flies with 4 species. Two of them are serious pests of livestock and can also attack humans. The most important species is the New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax which is native to tropical and subtropical parts of America but has been eradicated from North America and many areas of central America. Some species of related genera are also called screwworms, like the Old World screwworm, Chrysomya bezziana.
C. hominivorax females lay eggs into wounds of mammals and the larvae burrow into and feed on the tissue. Development of the larvae is complete within a week when they leave the wound and drop to the ground for pupation. The other species feed mainly on carrions but can be also parasitic on live mammals.
The genus is closely related to the genus Chrysomya. Adult flies of Cochliomyia have a bright orange head with most bristles being yellow. The tip of the wings is transparent (tinted brown in some related genera).
Type species: Cochliomyia macellaria
For details see the respective page in Wikipedia.
Currently, the following species have been entered into the system:
