Effect of Lunar Phases, Tides, and Wind Speed on the Abundance of Diptera Calliphoridae in a Mangrove Swamp.

Abiotic factors, such as lunar phases and tides, have a significant effect on insect development. Reproduction and immature development are usually interlinked to these abiotic factors. The tide is at its highest levels at full moon or new moon, hindering the feeding of the immature or causing their drowning. The oviposition by adult females is also compromised on these days because much of the available food is submerged. Another important abiotic factor is the wind, which displaces odoriferous particles in the air. Wind speed and direction are important elements to indicate potential sources of food for insects. I report on the effects of lunar phases, tides, and wind speed on the Calliphoridae fauna in mangrove swamps. The different species collected were identified, and the predominant species in the area were quantified. A total of 1,710 flies were collected over a 1-year period. Six Calliphoridae flies, Chloroprocta idioidea (Robineau-Desvoidy), Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius), Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann), Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann), Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius), and Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann) were collected. Data indicated that lunar phases have a significant effect on the abundance of C. albiceps (r = 0.39, p < 0.01), and that the variation of the tides also affected the abundance of C. putoria (r = 0.40, p < 0.00), C. macellaria (r = 0.41, p < 0.00), and C. idioidea (r = 0.31, p < 0.04). The wind speed, however, did not affect these species.

A severe case of cutaneous myiasis in São Gonçalo, Brazil, and a simple technique to extract New World screw-worm Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

This work describes a severe case of myiasis by Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) in a 59-year-old patient living in an urban area of São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro. The patient had an open wound on the right shoulder parasitized by 287 larvae. In order to remove the larvae, the wound was washed with NaCl and solid vaseline was applied onto the wound and covered with gauze and adhesive tape. After 90 min, the larvae were killed by asphyxiation and were removed using sterile forceps and NaCl. This procedure left the wound completely clean.