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Responses of female New World screwworm flies, Cochliomyia hominivorax, to swormlure‐4 in the laboratory
Author(s) -
WARNES M. L.,
GREEN C. H.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2915.1992.tb00583.x
Subject(s) - cochliomyia hominivorax , calliphoridae , biology , myiasis , zoology , anatomy , ecology , larva
Abstract. The behaviour of 4‐day‐old virgin female New World screwworm flies Cochliomyia hominivorax Coquerel was investigated in a wind tunnel using video. Addition of the screwworm attractant swormlure‐4 to the airstream resulted in an increase in the number of take‐offs and in the duration of flight. In the presence of swormlure‐4 the flight speed decreased and the rate of turning increased. Take‐off was significantly orientated upwind during the period when swormlure‐4 was added to the airstream, and significantly orientated downwind in the period after the addition of swormlure‐4. The possible means by which this species finds a point source of odour in the field are discussed and compared with the mechanisms used by other flies.