Ovarian development in the blowflies Chrysomya putoria and C. megacephala on natural diets

Fresh human, chicken and cattle faeces were compared as diets for adult female blowflies Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) and C.putoria (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). As controls, sugar and raw beef liver were used. For females of both species, fresh beef liver was the best of these diets: oogenesis was completed in 10-13 days. Human or chicken faeces facilitated slower oogenesis in 27-48 days. On a diet of cattle faeces, C.putoria females began vitellogenesis only 17 days after emergence, whereas females of C.megacephala remained previtellogenic until the end of the experiment (56 days).