Abstract
BackgroundThe calliphorid Cynomya mortuorum (L., 1761) is a species of forensic interest, present mainly in the Palaearctic Region. Nearly nothing is known about its life history.New informationWe provide here the first data regarding pupal weight evolution during the pupal stage, female fertility and life expectancy of the species. At 22°C under a variable regime of temperatures, the egg-to-adult development time was an average of 18.05 ± 0.72 and 18.47 ± 0.67 days for females and males, respectively, in the control group. The pupal stage represented 56.7% of the total development. The development time from egg to adult and the duration of the pupal stage were significantly longer for males than for females. The measurement of pupal weight at the start of the pupal period revealed that female pupae were significantly lighter than male pupae by nearly 20%. This difference between the sexes was also observed for the dry weight of adults. An average decrease of 8.75% was observed throughout the first 8 days of the pupal stage, after which most adults started to emerge. The tested females produced an average of 176.13 ± 66.62 eggs throughout the egg-laying period. The average lifespan after emergence was 12.10 ± 4.09 days for females and 12.60 ± 2.95 days for males, with a median of 12.50 days for both sexes.
Highlights
Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) have been important forensic indicators for over a century (Mégnin 1894, Leclercq 1974, Leclercq 1976, Lerclercq 1978, Wyss and Cherix 2006, Byrd and Castner 2010)
We provide here the first data regarding pupal weight evolution during the pupal stage, female fertility and life expectancy of the species
Cynomya mortuorum (Diptera, Calliphoridae) is a large, conspicuous species but is not frequently collected by entomologists (Frederickx et al 2011). This species appears in only one forensic case in Belgium
Summary
Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) have been important forensic indicators for over a century (Mégnin 1894, Leclercq 1974, Leclercq 1976, Lerclercq 1978, Wyss and Cherix 2006, Byrd and Castner 2010). Despite the increase of published data for several species, many remain understudied especially as to their biology, ethology and development This is certainly the case for Cynomya mortuorum (L., 1761). This species is mainly Palaearctic but partly overlaps the distribution of C. cadaverina Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 in Alaska and the Far East of Russia (Rognes 1991, Kurahashi and Kuranishi 2000). The measurement of pupal weight at the start of the pupal period revealed that female pupae were significantly lighter than male pupae by nearly 20% This difference between the sexes was observed for the dry weight of adults. The average lifespan after emergence was 12.10 ± 4.09 days for females and 12.60 ± 2.95 days for males, with a median of 12.50 days for both sexes
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