Blow Flies Visiting Decaying Alligators: Is Succession Synchronous or Asynchronous?

Table 1

Blow fly succession on site A’s decaying alligator, Mobile, Ala, USA (August 2002).

Blow fly species	Daily abundance^a,b (decomposition stage)
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	Fresh	Bloat	Active
Chrysomya rufifacies	+	−	+	+	+++	++	+++	++++	++	+
Cochliomyia macellaria	−	−	+	++	+++	++	++	++	+	−
Chrysomya megacephala	−	−	+	++	++	+++	++	++	+	−
Phormia regina	−	−	−	+	++	++	+	−	+	−
Lucilia coeruleiviridis	+	+	+	+	−	−	−	−	−	−

^a“−” = 0 adults collected, “+” 1–5, “++” = 6–15, “+++” = 16–25, “++++” > 26.^bDay 1 represents the first 24 hours of the study; this 24-hour period began at hour zero (i.e., the time of placement of the carcass in the field at 1000 hours on 5 August 2002) till 1000 hours the next morning on 6 August 2002.