Comparison of Adult Longevity of Chrysomya rufifacies and Cochliomyia macellaria (Diptera: Calliphoridae)
Abstract
Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) and Cochliomyia macellaria (F) are two important insects in the field of forensic entomology. Due to their tendency to immediately colonize a corpse after death, a comparison of sample flies taken off of a corpse and estimates of the duration of different parts of their life cycle is a valuable tool for determining the post-mortem interval (PMI) of a body. In order to accurately determine the PMI, the estimate of the duration of all of the insects’ life stages must be as accurate as possible. Chrysomya rufifacies larvae, in addition to feeding on carrion, are also facultative predators of other insects, including C. macellaria larvae. This predator-prey interaction of these species on a corpse in the wild could affect the development time of one or both species, and one factor that could affect their interactions is the relative adult longevity of each species. Chrysomya rufifacies were observed to have a larger adult body size than C. macellaria, and this study was performed to determine if Ch. rufifacies also has a greater adult longevity than C. macellaria. The flies of both species, born of wild caught specimens, were reared in a laboratory, and the adult lifespans of the flies were measured. It was found that the C. macellaria adults had a mean lifespan of 27.133 days, and the Ch. rufifacies adults had a mean lifespan of 23.426 days, which is a significant difference (p < 0.05).
References
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