Population Cage Studies with Wild-Type and Mutant Strains of the House Fly1

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Abstract
A special rearing-cycle procedure was devised to test the ability of 11 recessive mutant strains of the house fly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), to survive and reproduce in population cages. Performance was rated against the performance of a Fargo-W (=wildtype) strain. Two rearing cycles were run for each strain tested. Flies occurring in both cycles were placed under conditions of severe selection. The success or failure of a strain was measured by the number of adults available to begin a new cycle following selection procedures. No mutant populated the cage as effectively as the wildtype during the 1st rearing cycle. However, the aristapedia, white-eyed, and yellow-eyed mutants produced numbers approaching that of the wild-type during cycle 2. The mutant extended wing produced more adults in the cage during cycle 2 than the wild-type. Several mutants appeared to be deleterious to an adult carrier. Finally, the wild-type strain produced more adults from a 1-gallon container of larval food than any mutant tested.

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