Chapter 1031: Insect 964 is also acting strange
It’s relatively simple to distinguish the third instar larvae. It’s their final step towards becoming an adult fly, and their bodies have grown large enough to be clearly discerned, soon transitioning into pupae and then flies.
So, it’s not always butterflies that emerge from cocoons; moths and even flies can go through this transformation.
Under Jiang Yuan’s guidance, Wan Baoming quickly became familiar with several common third instar larvae.
When it comes to biological practice, learning is very fast. Reading books and looking at pictures in school doesn’t make for clear memories, all that talk of eighth and ninth abdominal segments. But if you see it for real, observe it several times and compare it a few times, the mind remembers quickly.
Take for instance the maggot commonly found in dry toilets, cylindrical but slightly flattened, with a pointed tail, its surface somewhat transparent with a slight yellowish tint. This maggot belongs to the Giant Golden Fly of the Calliphoridae family, with the scientific name (Chrysomyia megacephala Fabricius).
The Giant Golden Fly is also the most common corpse-loving fly species, especially in areas with dry toilets. If there’s a corpse, you can be sure Giant Golden Flies will fly over to lay eggs, thus becoming a great help to forensic doctors.
The Giant Golden Fly not only assists forensic doctors; it’s also beneficial to China’s traditional medicine industry. Traditional medicine uses "Wugu Chong" (grain insect) as an ingredient, claiming it "strengthens the spleen and disperses stagnation; clears heat and eliminates indigestion." It’s important to note that nowadays, some herbalists might use larvae from other fly species in medicines, as ordinary people don’t know the difference and can easily be deceived. Especially with the direct grinding of medicinal materials, once the Wugu Chong is crushed, even if it’s the wrong species, there’s no recourse for complaint.
Therefore, when real "Wugu Chong" is needed, if you can’t catch them yourself and don’t want to be deceived, you might as well start by observing in the dry toilets. In China, only a few provinces lack distribution of the Giant Golden Fly, primarily Heilongjiang and Jilin, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Tibet; otherwise, they’re quite easy to find.