The First and Subsequent Ovarian Cycles of the House Fly, Musca domestica L., in Relation to Chemically Defined Nutritional Requirements of the Adult

Abstract

A study of the nutritional requirements of adult house flies has shown that liquid diets of natural and purified products are capable of supporting continued oogenesis. Chemically defined liquid diets containing nine 1-amino acids fed to newly emerged female flies were necessary for ovarian maturation and oviposition. Water, salts and carbohydrate were the other basic dietary requirements for this process and for survival. The addition of cholesterol to this synthetic diet also influenced fecundity. For the maturation and oviposition of more than one ovarian cycle the synthetic diet had to be supplemented with the amino acid 1-methionine, certain B-vitamins and nucleic acid bases. Flies fed diets deficient in these supplements showed a lower fecundity and survival. A dry synthetic diet was developed which supported egg production.