Carrion Flies (Calliphoridae) in Tropical Rain Forests in Sarawak, South-east Asia.
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THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
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Title :
Carrion Flies (Calliphoridae) in Tropical Rain Forests in Sarawak, South-east Asia. |
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Author :
likka Hanski |
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Abstract:
575 specimens of 22 species of calliphoridswere collected from 8 different forest types in the Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak. The common species preferred different altitudes and forest types. All the 5 species of Chrysomya were found in the lowland forests below 800 m, but some preferred the alluvial forest, whereas others occurred more numerously in the mixed dipterocarp forest. Lucilia porphyrina was the only abundant calliphorid between 800 and 1600 m, and the two species of Calliphora were confined to the upper montane forests, C. fulviceps even to the summit of G. Mulu (above 2100 m). Most (11) of the rarer species (13) occurred in the lowland forests. Between-habitat variation in the calliphorid abundance was negatively correlated with the abundance of large scarabid beetles, with which the flies are suggested to compete for the same resources (carrion). The occurrence of large predatory beetles (Staphylininae) appears to follow the abundance of the calliphorid, their presumed prey. The number of relatively abundant species in local communities was less than 5 in Mulu, which is not higher than the corresponding figure in the temperate or even subarctic communities. This is attributed to the similarity of the habitat (carrion) anywhere in the world, and to intense competition for resources within it.
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| DOI: XXXX |
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How to cite:
Hanski, I. (1981). Carrion Flies (Calliphoridae) in Tropical Rain Forests in Sarawak, South-east Asia. The Sarawak Museum Journal, XXIX (50): 191-200 |
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References
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