Seasonal-changes in favorability of cattle dung in central Queensland for three species of dung-breeding insects

DOI
10.1111/j.1440-6055.1986.tb01062.x
Publication Year
1986
Publication Site
Journal of the Australian Entomological Society
Journal Volume
25
Page Numbers
23–29
Family
Scarabaeidae
Species 1 Binomial
General topic
Ecology
Development
Specific topic
dung type
Author

Macqueen, A.; Wallace, M M H; Doube, Bernard M.

Abstract Note

The favourability of cattle dung from a native pasture near Rockhampton, Queensland, as a food source was tested monthly in the laboratory for 2 yr using 3 dung-breeding insects: the buffalo fly, Haematobia irritans exigua De Meijere; the bush fly, Musca vetustissima Walker; and a dung beetle, Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche). Dung produced by cattle grazing on this pasture during the summer wet season yielded larger flies of both species and more broods from the dung beetle than dung from the same pasture in winter. When reared in summer dung, the buffalo fly almost attained its maximum recorded size but the bush fly and dung beetle reached ca two-thirds maximum recorded size and brood production respectively. Bush flies failed to breed in dung collected for 4 consecutive months in winter each year but survival of buffalo flies showed no seasonal trends. The early response of the buffalo fly to improving dung quality in late winter/early spring gives it an advantage enabling its populations to increase earlier than those of its competitors, including the dung beetle, E. intermedius.