Classification

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class: Hexapoda (Insects)
Order: Diptera (Flies)  
Family: Calliphoridae (Blow Flies)  
Genus: Lucilia  
Species: sericata (Common Green Bottle Fly)

Why organisms are classified at each level
Eukarya: All organisms are eukaryotes that posses a true nucleus and membrane bound organelles.

Animalia: Organisms are mulitcellular with no cell walls and are heterotrophic.

Arthropoda: Organisms are invertebrates, bilaterally symmetrical, contain chitin, and have segmented bodies. 

Hexapoda: Organisms contain a head, thorax, and abdomen. Other features include compound eyes, three pairs of legs, and optional wings.

Diptera: Organisms are holometabolous and have only one pair of wings in the adult stage. The wings are attached to the mesothorax.

Calliphoridae: Blue, green, or bronze metallic-looking flies that measure about 4-16mm. Larvae are pale yellow to white.

Lucilia: Develop on carrion or feces, and are able of affect living hosts.

sericata: They have a blue-green metallic color with clear brown veined wings. This organism is commonly used for maggot therapy. 

  How do the different subphylum of Arthropoda relate to one another?
   
    All arthropods include the subphylums Hexapoda, Crustacea, Myriapoda, and Chelicerata. Lucilia sericata falls into the Hexapoda class. There has been debate on how these organisms relate to one another within the arthropoda phylum. The figures below compare two phylogenetic trees based on morphological and molecular characteristics. The study was done by Clifford W. Cunningham at the University of Maryland.  Figure one shows the relationships by using nuclear protein-coding sequences. This shows that the Myripoda would be closely related to the Crustacea and Hexapoda. Figure two shows the relationships by using morphological characteristics. This shows that Myripoda would be more closely related to the Chelicerata.

                                 Figure One.                                                                      Figure Two.
           

Both Figures were created by Jennifer Stutz.

                                    Now let's take a look at the Habitat of Lucilia sericata!