Development of larvae, prepupae, pupae and adults of Lucilia sericata fed on animal tissue and organic food bio-wastes

Abstract

Diptera: Calliphoridae family Lucilia sericata is a bioagent in the fields of forensic entomology with its post-mortem minimum time interval (PMI) and cause of death predictions, behavioural ecology within the scope of differentiation in ecological diversity, and human and veterinary medicine with its larval debridement treatment effect. For researchers in these fields, the lack of a certain optimisation and standardisation of cultivation procedures under laboratory conditions poses a problem. In laboratory conditions, mostly animal tissue wastes were studied in the adult diet that complied with the protocol for Lucilia sericata colony continuity. In order to understand the physical and physiological effects, not only on ovarian development but also on reproductive potential, this study focuses on comparative determination of the effects on oviposition, larval, prepupal, pupal and adult development of adults on two groups of artificial diets consisting of Diet A (bovine brain, bovine spleen, fish and a mixture of all three foods) containing animal tissues and wastes and Diet B (sugar beet pulp, vegetable waste and household garbage, banana peel and a mixture of all three foods) containing food wastes. Mean value calculations and T-test results of Diet A and Diet B groups at the larval, prepupal and pupal stages showed that there was a significant difference between and within groups for nutrient substrates at each stage and this difference was statistically significant (p=0.001).