Abstract
The phoretic association betweenMacrocheles muscaedomesticae and flies that inhabited poultry manure in a poultry farm in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia was studied. The effects of temperature, relative humidity and fly abundance on phoretic rates also were in vestigated.
The most abundant fly species found wasMusca domestica; Musca sorbens, Chrysomyia megacephala andOphyra chalcogaster were present in relatively large numbers.
Representatives of ten families of mites were found on collectedMu. domestica. The most common mite wasMa. muscaedomesticae (Macrochelidae), found on all four species of flies mentioned above. The highest infestation (2.0%) occurred onO. chalcogaster butMu. domestica had the highest average number infested (5.7).
The ventral part of the housefly's abdomen was the most common site of mite attachment. Usually only one mite was found attached per fly.
The highest phoretic rate recorded was 64.4Ma. muscaedomesticae per 1000Mu. domestica. There was no correlation between phoretic rates andMa. muscaedomesticae abundance, nor was relative humidity a factor. However, a positive correlation was recorded in this host species between phoretic rates and temperature.
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This paper forms part of the Ph. D. thesis of the author submitted to the Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, in March 1988.
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Ho, T.M. Phoretic association betweenMacrocheles muscaedomesticae (Acari: Macrochelidae) and flies inhabiting poultry manure in Peninsular Malaysia. Exp Appl Acarol 10, 61–68 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01193974
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01193974