Estimation of development times for immature stages of the bush fly, Musca vetustissima Walker (Diptera: Muscidae), and their simulation from air temperature and solar radiation records

Immature stages of bush fly, Musca vetustissima Walker, were reared at constant temperatures ranging from 18°C to 39°C. Mean egg to adult development times ranged from 7.0 to 25.8 days. Eggs, larval instars I, II and III, and pupae averaged, respectively, 3.1, 4.4, 5.5, 36.4 and 50.6% of the total development time. Mean development rate was a non-linear function of temperature. A non-linear development rate model accurately estimated mean development times of immature stages under both constant and fluctuating temperature regimes. Simulation of dung pad temperatures, from air temperature and solar radiation records, predicted development times of soil- and dunginhabiting stages of M. vetustissima to within 4% of those observed under field conditions.