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Protein-feeding by the males of the Australian bushfly Musca vetustissima Wlk. in relation to mating performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Marina Tyndale-Biscoe
Marina Tyndale-Biscoe
Affiliation:
CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Canberra, A.C.T.
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Extract

Male bushflies (Musca vetustissima Wlk.) are attracted to and feed on proteincontaining substances, although under laboratory conditions they ingested smaller quantities of blood and dung than did the females. Laboratory experiments showed that they are able to obtain water from fresh dung and blood, but no physiological requirement for the protein was found. Feeding on protein did not increase the life span or the total numbers of matings; it did not improve the mating success of males that had previously been multiple-mated; and it did not enhance sexual activity, contrary to the situation found in Lucilia cuprina (Wied.). It is concluded that protein feeding in male bushflies is casual, possibly a behaviour pattern that ensures their presence near females.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 60 , Issue 4 , June 1971 , pp. 607 - 614
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1971

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