Abstract
bThe favourability of cattle dung from a native pasture near Rockhampton, Queensland, as a food source was tested monthly in the laboratory for 2 yr using 3 dung‐breeding insects: the buffalo fly, Haematobia irritans exigua De Meijere; the bush fly, Musca vetustissima Walker; and a dung beetle, Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche). Dung produced by cattle grazing on this pasture during the summer wet season yielded larger flies of both species and more broods from the dung beetle than dung from the same pasture in winter. When reared in summer dung, the buffalo fly almost attained its maximum recorded size but the bush fly and dung beetle reached ca two‐thirds maximum recorded size and brood production respectively. Bush flies failed to breed in dung collected for 4 consecutive months in winter each year but survival of buffalo flies showed no seasonal trends.The early response of the buffalo fly to improving dung quality in late winter/early spring gives it an advantage enabling its populations to increase earlier than those of its competitors, including the dung beetle, E. intermedius.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
