Lifetime reproductive output of Calliphora vicina and Lucilia sericata in outdoor caged and field populations; flight vs. egg production?

Abstract

Females of the blowflies Calliphora vicina (Robineau-Desvoidy) and Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) maintained in sheltered outdoor cages and supplied with excess food, oviposited later than would have been expected from the temperature-sum. The survival rates of the caged flies was high and the isolation of flies from predation, extreme temperatures and food shortages is likely to have contributed to this. Despite good survival rates, subsequent egg production over the greater part of the adult life span was reduced to approximately 24% for C. vicina and approximately 55% for L. sericata, of the potential expected from the published temperature-sums required for the maturation of successive egg batches. The data suggest that under field-cage conditions there is a considerable variation in egg development between individuals of the same age and that this variation should not be overlooked, since it may have significant implications in ecological and forensic investigations; however, the cause of this variability remains unclear. While lower than expected, the reproductive outputs recorded in the cages were nevertheless considerably greater than those that have been estimated for blowflies in the field and illustrate the potential for population increase in these species under favourable conditions. The possibility of a greater energy investment in flight activity relative to reproductive output in C. vicina compared to L. sericata is proposed.

Blowfly (Diptera, Calliphoridae) damage on stockfish in northern Norway: pest species, damage assessment and the potential of mass trapping

“…Calliphora vicina produce egg batches ranging from 100 to 200 eggs (Davies 2006;Saunders and Bee 1995), and the average number of larvae leaving each damaged fish suggests a single, egg-laying female. However, some fish must have received eggs from more than one blowfly because a maximum number of 538 larvae were observed.…”

The significance of the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Islands for the assessment of the vulnerability of native communities to climate change, alien insect invasions and plant viruses

“…During flight-favourable thermal periods, the high dispersal capability of C. vicina adults was found to facilitate faster colonisation and resource exploitation than that of the flightless A. aptera. Calliphora vicina is also characterised by a shorter development period and a larger offspring than A. aptera (Vernon 1981;Davies 2006). Therefore, C. vicina can often represent the major part of the larval biomass in carrions (Chevrier et al 1997).…”

Wing morphology of the active flyerCalliphora vicina(Diptera: Calliphoridae) during its invasion of a sub-Antarctic archipelago where insect flightlessness is the rule

“…Sexual dimorphism often results from different selection regimes and energy expenditures between genders, with some heavy trade-offs primarily occurring in females as a result of egg production and dispersal (i.e. locating sexual partners and food for offspring) (Williams & Richardson, 1983;Davies, 2006). Examining this scenario in C. vicina will require further fitness studies.…”