To improve our data on the lifecycle of Dermestes frischii, we observed it at different rearing conditions. This is one of the most abundant species among the family Dermestidae in Northern Italy whose developmental time is not fully known yet. The family Dermestidae is not predatory but interested in dehydrated carcasses as a source of food for adult and immature specimens and it is a valuable indicator of the PMI. Although D. undulatus is a Holarctic species, it is rarer in Northern Italy compared to D. frischii. In this work we focused our interest on the comparison of the lifecycle of D. frischii and D. undulatus reared at the same controlled conditions. In the past we obtained data on the lifecycle of D. frischii at 28°C and at 75% RH; now we chose a temperature of 23°C and 75% RH to have a different set of data and to assess development at a more commonly occurring temperature in our region. Several specimens of D. frischii and D. undulatus, collected on a dehydrated pig carcass were reared in an incubator and were fed the carcass that had attracted them. The duration of the lifecycle was measured in each single stage and in total; mortality was also considered in each stage and overall. In the case of D. frischii, eggs, larvae, pupae and adults were sampled, fixed and measured and all the results are compared to the ones previously obtained. The several colonies of D. undulatus showed an heterogeneous evolution: the number of the larval stages went from 4 to 6 and such colonies comprehended a lower number of specimens compared to D. frischii. The developmental cycle of this species seems to be more influenced by environmental conditions than D. frischii’s: ovoposition is less regular and the number of the eggs is lower; moreover, the eggs were significantly fragile and hatched with more difficulty. This is why we have not obtained the morphometric data of this species yet. Nevertheless, the duration of the immature stages and the rate of mortality, which is quite high at this temperature, are comparable to D. frischii.

The life cycle of Dermestes frischii Kugelann, 1792 and of Dermestes undulatus Brahm, 1790 under regulated conditions

LAMBIASE, SIMONETTA;
2014-01-01

Abstract

To improve our data on the lifecycle of Dermestes frischii, we observed it at different rearing conditions. This is one of the most abundant species among the family Dermestidae in Northern Italy whose developmental time is not fully known yet. The family Dermestidae is not predatory but interested in dehydrated carcasses as a source of food for adult and immature specimens and it is a valuable indicator of the PMI. Although D. undulatus is a Holarctic species, it is rarer in Northern Italy compared to D. frischii. In this work we focused our interest on the comparison of the lifecycle of D. frischii and D. undulatus reared at the same controlled conditions. In the past we obtained data on the lifecycle of D. frischii at 28°C and at 75% RH; now we chose a temperature of 23°C and 75% RH to have a different set of data and to assess development at a more commonly occurring temperature in our region. Several specimens of D. frischii and D. undulatus, collected on a dehydrated pig carcass were reared in an incubator and were fed the carcass that had attracted them. The duration of the lifecycle was measured in each single stage and in total; mortality was also considered in each stage and overall. In the case of D. frischii, eggs, larvae, pupae and adults were sampled, fixed and measured and all the results are compared to the ones previously obtained. The several colonies of D. undulatus showed an heterogeneous evolution: the number of the larval stages went from 4 to 6 and such colonies comprehended a lower number of specimens compared to D. frischii. The developmental cycle of this species seems to be more influenced by environmental conditions than D. frischii’s: ovoposition is less regular and the number of the eggs is lower; moreover, the eggs were significantly fragile and hatched with more difficulty. This is why we have not obtained the morphometric data of this species yet. Nevertheless, the duration of the immature stages and the rate of mortality, which is quite high at this temperature, are comparable to D. frischii.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11571/856774
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