Age distribution of adult female screwworms (Diptera: Calliphoridae) captured on sentinel animals in the coastal lowlands of Guatemala |
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Authors: | D B Thomas A C Chen |
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Institution: | Screwworm Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico. |
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Abstract: | The age structure of screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), populations was studied in the Guatemalan lowlands with the pteridine technique of age determination. Flies (95% were 4-15 d old) were captured on sentinel animals. Mean age was 7.5 d. The oldest fly captured was 21 d old. Most flies visiting wounds were reproductively mature females. Of these, about one-half oviposited once, one-third oviposited twice, and 1 in 10 completed three ovarian cycles (assuming a 3-d interval between clutches). Periodicity in adult capture rates may be related to the reproductive cycle. Results suggest that local populations are composed of a high proportion of synchronized cohorts. |
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