Flesh fly or Sci-fi?

Another rare bug sighting in my backyard:
this crazy-looking zebra striped bug with bright red eyes and matching red booty was almost an inch long.  I spotted it walking along my garden box (if it had not been moving, I would have thought it was a toy bug, planted by a friend trying to trick me :^)

The Flesh Fly is from the family Sarcophagidae; yes, from the same Greek roots for sarcophagus: sarco=flesh and phage=eating.
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Flesh Flies are viviparous, and they larviposit which means that they lay live young (baby maggots)

directly on the food source (wounds, dung, or carrion). It turns out that the adult Flesh Fly only drinks sweet fluids, like flower nectar, which is what it was after in my backyard.

Whatever you do, do not eat the larvae! Flesh Flies may-but not likely- carry leprosy.
Yuck. Not that you would. More interesting bits from the BugLady.