Journal of Medical Entomology (1988) 25, 340-342

David B. Taylor and Robert L. Mangan (1988)
Truncation of screwworm (Diptera: Calliphoridae) development by irradiation of embryos
Journal of Medical Entomology 25 (5), 340-342
Abstract: Gamma irradiation of screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), embryos was used to truncate the life cycle at the prepupal stage. Egg hatch and larval survival were not reduced by dosages <8 kilorads (kr). Pupariation and adult emergence were inhibited by dosages >2.8 and 1.2 kr, respectively. Larvae, irradiated as embryos with dosages <8 kr, successfully infested wounded sheep, although larval weight was lower than normal. A dosage of 5.8 kr was sufficient to prevent pupariation, while permitting larval development to the third instar. Truncation of screwworm development permits the use of artificially wounded and infested animals for screwworm population surveillance and research without danger of accidentally releasing fertile screwworms.
(The abstract has been supplied by the author or ISPI and is excluded from the Creative Commons licence.)
Full text of article
Database assignments for author(s): David B. Taylor

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
rearing/culturing/mass production
surveys/sampling/distribution

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Cochliomyia hominivorax