Research Article

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

Table 2

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

Blow fly speciesDaily abundancea,b (decomposition stage)
12345678910
FreshBloatActive

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.