Life Cycle and Development
Members of the order Diptera have a holometabolous lifecycle meaning they go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and imago, or adult. C. cadaverina typically has around 17 generations of offspring per year with 25 to 50 eggs per generation if the right conditions are present. Temperature can have an extreme impact on development. If the temperature gets above or below a certain temperature it can cause all development of the fly to stop. In general, the warmer it is, the faster the lifecycle will go. While if it is colder, the lifecycle may take longer than usual. This has to be taken into account when estimating the postmortem interval.
Adults of C. cadaverina lay their eggs in open wounds or natural body openings on carrion typically in small clusters or scattered singly. The eggs usually hatch out within 24 to 72 hours depending on the season. The eggs will then hatch into larvae that will go through three instars (stages). Each one of these stages is separated by a molt. During a molt, the larvae shed its outer layer in order to accommodate for new growth that comes with increased consumption of food needed for energy stores. The first instar typically lasts for approximately 20 hours while the second instar lasts for 16 hours followed by the third instar for 72 hours. After the larvae have completed their development and stored as much energy as possible they disperse to a safe area to complete their next stage, the pupal stage. This stage lasts for about 9 days before the fly finally emerges as an adult. The total lifecycle of C. cadaverina can take anywhere from 17–19 days depending on the temperature.
Read more about this topic: Cynomya Cadaverina
Famous quotes containing the words life, cycle and/or development:
“Shut out from the world with its blare and glare, life in an institution moves softly. The ears become attuned to gentle notes and a subdued tone.”
—Mary B. Harris (1874–1957)
“The cycle of the machine is now coming to an end. Man has learned much in the hard discipline and the shrewd, unflinching grasp of practical possibilities that the machine has provided in the last three centuries: but we can no more continue to live in the world of the machine than we could live successfully on the barren surface of the moon.”
—Lewis Mumford (1895–1990)
“Ultimately, it is the receiving of the child and hearing what he or she has to say that develops the child’s mind and personhood.... Parents who enter into a dialogue with their children, who draw out and respect their opinions, are more likely to have children whose intellectual and ethical development proceeds rapidly and surely.”
—Mary Field Belenky (20th century)