Files and links (1)
CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Influence of Soil Type and Moisture on Pupal Development of Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) at Two Different Temperatures
Insects (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.15(7), 479
2024
Abstract
Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart), commonly known as the hairy maggot blow fly, is important in forensic and medical contexts because it colonizes carcasses and is a causative agent of myiasis in animals and humans. Studying the development of its pupae is crucial for understanding the time since death in forensic investigations and for containing the spread of myiasis. This study investigated how temperature, soil type, and moisture affect the development of Ch. rufifacies pupae in Western Australia.AbstractThe present study investigates the developmental process of Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) pupae and their dependency on soil composition, moisture levels, and temperature changes. This research holds implications for forensic and veterinary applications, providing crucial insights for estimating minimum postmortem intervals and managing myiasis-causing flies in diverse environments. Specifically, the study explores the impact of five moisture content levels in loam and sandy soils (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%) on the pupal development of Ch. rufifacies under two distinct constant temperature regimes (24 ± 1 °C and 30 ± 1 °C). A significant correlation was observed between soil type and temperature regarding the time required to complete the pupal stages; however, moisture had no significant impact. Larvae exhibited varying survival rates across the two temperatures and five moisture levels in the two types of soils, particularly under extremely lower moisture conditions (0%) at 30 ± 1 °C, failing to progress to the pupariation stage. Additionally, growth parameters such as pupal length and width of the fully formed puparia were significantly impacted by temperature, soil type, and moisture level. Adult head width was systematically measured across different moisture levels and soil types, revealing distinct temperature-dependent responses. Furthermore, a sex-specific analysis highlighted that female Ch. rufifacies consistently displayed larger head widths and higher emergence rates compared to their male counterparts. This research enhances our understanding of the intricate interrelationship among three environmental variables: soil type, moisture level, and temperature, elucidating their collective impact on the pupation processes of dipterans.
Details
- Title
- Influence of Soil Type and Moisture on Pupal Development of Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) at Two Different Temperatures
- Authors/Creators
- Tharindu Bambaradeniya - Murdoch UniversityPaola Magni - Murdoch University, School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic SciencesIan Dadour
- Publication Details
- Insects (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.15(7), 479
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Identifiers
- 991005691070307891
- Copyright
- © 2024 by the authors.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
Metrics
5 File views/ downloads
81 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.32 Entomology
- 3.32.1638 Forensic Entomology
- Web Of Science research areas
- Entomology
- ESI research areas
- Plant & Animal Science