DECOMPOSITION OF RABBIT FECES - ROLE OF THE SCIARID FLY LYCORIELLA-MALI (DIPTERA-SCIARIDAE) IN ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS

Gross decomposition (wt./cal) losses of rabbit feces colonized by larvae of the sciarid fly Lycoriella mali Fitch as contrasted with feces incubated without fly larvae were studied in the laboratory. Under conditions of high larval density and intense grazing pressure, fecal weight and calorie losses (30 days) were double those from fecal samples incubated without flies. Decomposition losses among the samples in a given treatment showed limited variation although the number of emergent adults varied greatly. Although published caloric values obtained for microflora and flies are significantly higher than those recorded for the rabbit feces used in this study (4837 cal/g), feces colonized by flies and feces incubated without flies had caloric values equivalent to that of the unincubated control. Larvae consumed both the mycelium and sporocarps of coprophilous fungi. © 1979, Entomological Society of Canada. All rights reserved.