Effect of Temperature on Oviposition Behavior and Egg Load of Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

On the influence of environmental factors on the oviposition activity of necrophagous flies

“…The most important factor is temperature (Campobasso et al, 2001;George et al, 2013;Hans et al, 2018;Mahon et al, 2004;Ody et al, 2017), and values below 12 C and above 30 C are generally accepted as a threshold for oviposition for most blow fly species (Gennard, 2007). However, due to species-specific temperature adaptions certain species are still able to oviposit at temperature as low as 4 C (Deonier, 1940;Faucherre et al, 1999).…”

“…Given that unfavourable parameters can completely prevent an oviposition, abiotic variables such as temperature, precipitation, relative humidity or season seem to have an even greater influence on the colonisation times and oviposition behaviour of flies (George et al, 2013). The most important factor is temperature (Campobasso et al, 2001; George et al, 2013; Hans et al, 2018; Mahon et al, 2004; Ody et al, 2017), and values below 12°C and above 30°C are generally accepted as a threshold for oviposition for most blow fly species (Gennard, 2007). However, due to species‐specific temperature adaptions certain species are still able to oviposit at temperature as low as 4°C (Deonier, 1940; Faucherre et al, 1999).…”

“…While few studies analysed the effect of abiotic variables on the oviposition activity of necrophagous flies under laboratory conditions (Hans et al, 2018; Ody et al, 2017; Yang & Shiao, 2012), field studies are still rare (George et al, 2013; Mahon et al, 2004) and not in the focus of decomposition studies (Tomberlin et al, 2012). Therefore, in the present study, the oviposition activity of five necrophagous fly species (Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae) was monitored using mouse carcasses placed at 10 sites in both an urban and a rural habitat in Frankfurt/Germany.…”

A survey of blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) populations in Phoenix, Arizona

“…Little work preceded Deonier (Nicholson, 1934) or followed (Stavenga et al, 1993;Ngoen-klan et al, 2011;Lutz et al, 2019) and no work assessing blow fly activity due to climatic conditions (e.g., temperature and humidity) has been done in hot, arid, desert environments such as Arizona. However, some laboratory studies have begun examining the upper thermal limits (e.g., oviposition) for populations of adult blow flies in other regions within North America (Ody et al, 2017;Hans et al, 2019;Monzon et al, 2022), including some studies on warm-weather species (e.g., C. rufifacies and C. macellaria) from warm, but humid locations (i.e., Texas, USA); adult flies were exposed to a variety of temperatures for varying lengths of time to assess their survival and "knockdown" (i.e., the point at which an organism can no longer effectively locomote and remain upright) following exposure to elevated temperatures (Rusch et al, 2019;Rusch et al, 2020). Flies of both species show sharp increases in knockdown and sharp decreases in survival when exposed to temperatures above 40˚C, with nearly 100% knockdown and 0% survival when exposed to 45˚C, thus providing a narrow range of temperatures for their upper thermal tolerances.…”

“…However, no similar assumptions or upper base temperatures exist for blow flies inhabiting hot regions (e.g., deserts), though experiments have shown elevated temperatures reduce blow fly survival, activity, and development (Nicholson, 1934;Byrd and Allen, 2001;Kotzéet al, 2015;Rusch et al, 2019;Rusch et al, 2020). Similarly, other studies investigated the influence of temperature on blow fly oviposition and found 1) temperature induced limits of oviposition (i.e., temperatures at which blow flies stopped laying eggs), 2) temperature specific egg production (i.e., differing numbers of eggs produced across temperatures), and 3) temperature specific timing of oviposition (Ody et al, 2017;Hans et al, 2019;Monzon et al, 2022). Collectively, these studies shed light on how high temperature likely alters the likelihood, timing, and intensity of blow fly colonization.…”