Summary Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera: Phoridae) is a synanthropic fly that lives in wide range of warmer regions globally. Although it listed as quarantine pest the Eurasian Economic Union, phytosanitary protocols have not been established. The larva feeds on moist food material and cannot grow dry matter, including cured tobacco. However, adults this species detected containers containin...

Despite the important roles played by insects in most ecosystems, surprisingly little is known about how anthropogenic pollutants or their mixtures interact to affect insect populations. The independent and joint actions of selenate and methylmercury on a ubiquitous insect detritivore, Megaselia scalaris (Loew), were determined in this study. Ovipositing females did not distinguish between untr...

The scuttle fly, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera: Phoridae), is of medical, veterinary, and forensic importance. In the case of the latter, M. scalaris is commonly associated with indoor death or neglect cases of humans or household animals, and its larvae are useful in determining time of colonization (TOC). This study is the first to examine the effects of different temperatures and tissue...

This is the first report of arthropods associated with carrion in Venezuela, using laboratory bred rats (Rattus norvegicus). Rat carcasses were exposed to colonization by arthropods in neighboring montane savanna and cloud forest habitats in the state of Miranda. The taxonomic composition of the arthropods varied between both ecosystems. Scarabaeidae, Silphidae, Micropezidae, Phoridae, Vespidae...

Spindles from the gonads of five insect species were examined after conventional preparation for electron microscopy. The aim of the study was to determine (1) the range of variation of the spindle membranes between mitotic and meiotic cells and (2) the correlation of possible differences with the microtubule content of the spindles. The study involved four moth species, Ephestia kuehniella, Ph...