Calliphoridae (Diptera) in Manaus, Amazonas: II. Flight activity pattern in five species

Abstract

Five species of calliphorid flies, Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794), C. putoria (Wiedemann, 1830), C. albiceps (Wiedemann. 1819), Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius, 1775) and Phaenicia eximia (Wiedemann, 1819), were collected hourly belween 6:00 and 18:00h., during five consecutive days per month for 12 moths; using home-made traps baited with rotting bovine lung. The data were statisticaly analyzed with relation to precipitation, temperature, relative humidity and luminosity. The results indicate that precipitation must have acted upon the seasonal abundance of the species, and that these responded equally to temperature, relative humidity and luminosity, throughout the entire day, except for P. eximia, which exhibited greater sensibility to these factors, demonstrating greater activity during the morning hours. The geographic expansion of invader species, associated to the tolerance to climatic variations was briefily discussed.

Calliphoridae; flies; climatic factors; flight activity