The JapanSocietyJapan Society of Medical Entomology and Zoology (Jpn. J. Sanit. Zool. Vol. 38 Ne. 3 p. 187-1951987] Biologieal studies of flies (Diptera) from molluscnon-museoidcarrion in Southeast Asiabred R. A. BEAvER School of Pure and Applied Sciences, The University of the Seuth Pacific, Box 1168, Suva, Fiji (Received: September 8, 1986) Key werds: snail carrion, Diptera, WestMalaysia,Thailand, Abstract: Twenty-one species of non-muscoid Diptera (Psychodidae, Phori- dae, Sphaeroceridae, Ephydridae, Milichiidae, Chloropidae) were bred from dead snails, Achatina fulica, in West Malaysia, and four species from the same habitat in Northem Thailand. Information is given on the breeding sites, pattern of occurrence, development time, hymenopteran parasitoids, and medical and veterinary importance of the species. didae), rather than the numbers of adults INTRoDUCTION bred, and thus include those individuals that died in the puparium, or were parasitised In the first paper of this series (Beaver, by Hymenoptera. Nomenclature of the 1986a), I dealt with 12 species of muscoid Diptera follows Delfinado and Hardy (1973- flies bred from dead snails, chiefly the giant 1977). African snai1, Achatina fulica Bowdich, in Thailand and West Malaysia. In this paper, BIOLOGy OF TIIE DIpTERA I conslder 21 species of non-muscoid flies of the families Psychodidae, Phoridae, Sphaero- Ps)Jchodidae ceridae, Milichiidae and Ephydridae, Chloro- Psychoda alternata SaylPsychoda sp.: pidae, bred from the $ame series of snails. There seem to be few records of Psychodidae Details of the Jocalities and of the experimen- from dead snails, although two species of tal procedures used are given by Beaver PhilosePedon, P. Phalaenoides (L.) and P. (1986a). humeralis (Meigen), are regular members of Five experiments were carried eut in X･Vest the dipteran community breeding in dead Malaysia, on a site in the campus of Uni- snails in Europe (Beaver, 1972; Keilin, 1919; versiti Sains Malaysia on Pulau Penang, using Schmitz, 1917). Psychoda alternata is a from 13-tl5 dead Achatina fulica. Two cosmopolitan species breeding in a wide range experiments were carried out in Thailand of habitats in whieh both moisture and a on the campus of Chiang Mai University supply of organic material are provided, such using A. fulica, and in one experiment as sewage beds, drains, etc. It may be in- ViviPara 1`aPonica Mart., and Indoplanorbis volved in the mechanical transmission of sp. also. Records are frorn dead Achatina parasitic nematodes (Tod et al. 1971), and fulica unless otherwise indicated. It should lam,ae have been involved in human enteric be noted that the numbers of individuals myiasis (Harwood and James, 1979). P. recorded for each species refer to the numbers alternata was bred in Malaysia from a single of puparia found (except for the Psycho- snail which produced 18 adults, This number 187 NII-Electronic Library Service The JapanSocietyJapan Society ofMedicalof Medical Entomology and Zoology 188 Jpn. J. Sanit. Zool. cou]d not be checked against the number of scoPus have similar habits to those of pupae because the pupal skin was fragile Rsychoda species (Bohart and Gressitt, 1951). and easily broken up during extraction, unlike Adults were bred from dead Achatina fulica the harder and stronger puparial cases of in both Thailand and West Malaysia. In other dipteran families considered in this Malaysia, the species occurred more frequent- paper. Adults emerged from 10-12 days after ly in the snails than the other two psychodids the snail was exposed (Table 2). P. alternata bred (Table 1), and in larger numbers per is known to have a short development period, snail on average (Table 2). Its develop- which may be as little as 7 days when mental period is certainly longer than that temperatures are high (Ameen and Huq, of Psychoda alternata (Table 2). 1973). Psychoda sp. was bred from a single snail Phoridae in the same experiment as P. alternata, and Conicera (Tritoconicera) formosensis again 18 adults were reared. The develop- Brues: Species of Conicera breed in carrion mental period appears to be longer than that and other dead organic matter (Schmitz, is well-known of P. alternata (Table 2), but this could be 1953), and C. tibialis Schmitz "coMn an effect ef different dates of oviposition for as the fiy," able to maintain itself the snails were exposed to attack for a week. over many successive generations on human Telmatoscopus sp.: Species of Telmato- cerpses inside cofins 1964). C. (Oldroyd, Table 1 Percentage of Achatina fulicaattacked by various flyspecies in West Malaysia. Percentageof snails attacked Species 1* 2* 3* 4* 5* Psychoda alternata 5515 Psychoda sp. TelmatoscoPus sp. 4 7 Conicera formosensis 4 DehrniPnora cornuta 15153115 Gymneptera orientalis Megaselia curtineura 86367 40 223225579272 Megaselia sp. D 29 Megaselia sp. G 4 PuticiPhora sp. F 8 5 18 PuliciPhora sp. L 16 367 co SPiniphora genitalis 10 Coproica hirtula 38 1oo 69 7 Atlotrichoma alium 5 Allotrichoma livens 15100 60 7 265 Discomyza maculipennis 95 14 69 DesmemetoPa sp. 5 9 Milichia sp. 10 2 1062 HipPelates bilineatus 815 40 20 SiPhuneutina minima 75 89 7 Siphunculina sp. 5 Unidentified sp. 5 4 45 Totar No, of snails 1318.iv.752S.iv,75 2029.iv.756,v.75 28 coi6.vi.7723.vi.77 7.iL76 5.v.76 Date of exposure Date of collection 8-12,iL76 6-12.v.76 * Experiment No. NII-Electronic Library Service The JapanSocietyJapan Society of Medical Entomology and Zoology Vol. 38 No. 3 1987 189 Tab]e 2 Number of individuals pupated per attacked snail (mean and range) and time and range) between exposure of the in days (mean various species snail and emergence of the adult flies for fly in NNTest Malaysia. Species No.of individuals No, of days Psychoda alternata 181833.0 11,7 (10-12) Psychoda sp. 18,2 (18-19) TelmatoscoPus sp. (1-100) 23.4 (21-28) Conicera formosensis 27 27.9 (26-32) cornuta 8.5 16> IL7 DohrniPhora (1- (11-13) orientalis Gymnoptera 6.0 {2-10) 28.9 (21-30> curtineura 16.9 Megaselia 21.0 (1-228) (14--24) sp. Megaselia D 15.8 (1-96) 22,9 (15-32) sp. 17,l Megaselia G 4.8 (1-15) (14-20) PuliciPhora sp. F 12.8 (1-61(-887)) 21.5 (17-30) PuliciPhora sp. L 51,7 <r-217) 2].2 (17-29) Spiniphora genitalis 170.6 (1-606) 19.3 (15-co) Coproica hirtula 47.6 (1-366) 12.6 ( 9-20) Allotrichoma alium 10.2 (2- 21) 10.6 ( 9-12) Allotrichotna livens 22.4 (1- 85) 9,5 ( 7-13) 14.8 82) 20.5 Discomyza maculiPennis (1- (14-38) DesmometoPa sp, 9.4 (1- 21) (?9-12) Milichia sp. 4.0 (1- 8) (?9-12) Hippelates biiineatus 7.4 (1- S2) 27.3 (19-35) SiPhunculina mininza 29,2 (1-212) 17.5 <10-35) SiPhunculina sp. 2.2 (1- 5) --33.2 S.2.7-g7).- formosensis is known from Taiwan and West generation within the same snail, and have Malaysia, but nothing is recorded of its been excluded from the calculation of the biology. I bred the species from only a mean value in Table 2. Bohart and Gressitt single Achatina fulica in Malaysia. The snail (1951) give a developmental period of 15+ day, and it is days. had been exposed for only 1 ' of development Gymnoptera onentalis Meijere): G. clear that the mean time -bed (de (27.9 days) is longer than for most other orientalis was desc- from Java, and does species bred from the snails (Table 2). not seem to have been recorded before from DohrniPhora cornuta (Bigot): This is a Malaysia. Noth ing has been recorded of its cosmopolitan species, a very wide biology, aithough reJated species, bred from the G. range of decaying and animal matter, molluscovora was associated with plant (Bohart) J including dead molluscs, dead insects in decaying molluscs in Guam (Bohart and Sarracenia pitcher plants, and sewage beds Gressitt, 1951). These authors suggest that (Bohart and Gressitt, 1951; Kloter et al. G. moZluscovora may help the spread and 1977). KIQter et al. C1977) note that the development of toxin-producing micro- species is a facultative predator of Psychoda organisms on shellfish. I bred the species in alternate in sewage beds, but the two species Malaysia from only two snails. These pro- did not occur together in these experiments. duced 2 and 10 adults respectively. Bohart I bred D. cornuta in Malaysia from only and Gressitt (1951) give a development two snails, which produced 1 and 16 adults period for G. moUuscovora of 16+ days. respectively. Adults emerged from 11-13 and The littleevidence available for G. orientalis 27-32 days after the snails were exposed, suggests a longer period, at Ieast in the The later emergences may have been a secend conditions of the experiments, The average NII-Electronic Library Service The JapanSocietyJapan Society of Medical Entomology and Zoology 190 Jpn. J. -Sanit. Zool. time (28.9 days) between exposure of the Achatina fulica in West Malaysia, sometimes snails and emergence of the adults was Ionger in large numbers per snail. than for almost any other species bred PulioiPhora sp. F was bred from 20 snails (Table 2). in four experiments (Table 1). Most of these Megaselia curtineura (Brues) : This species snails produced moderate numbers of indivi- has a distribution wide from Africa through duals (Table 2), but one snail produced 887 the Orienta] region to Hawaii. It has been individuals. This snail had been protected reared before from Achatina fulica, and also from oviposition by the Iarger muscoid flies, from insect carrion and as a laboratory cul- and from predation by ants. Adults emerged ture medium contaminant (Robinson, 1971).