Rates of Development of the Immature Stages of the Buffalo Fly, Haematobia Irritans Exigua De Meijere (Diptera: Muscidae), in Relation to Temperature.

Abstract

The rates of development of the immature stages of the buffalo fly were determined under a range of constant temperatures. At near-optimum moisture conditions, the rates of development of all immature stages bear a negative asymptotic relationship to temperature. Lower and upper threshold temperatures and the relationships of the rate of development with temperature differ among the immature stages. In a separate preliminary study, suboptimal levels of moisture in the larval breeding medium were shown to reduce the rate of development.