The life cycle of the tsetse fly (1987) Pt. 2 of 2

the maggot weighs almost as much as its mother and from the moment of birth is very active it Burrows head first into the soil by peristaltic movements while its mother Waits when she flies away it will be to obtain another blood meal and to produce another lava in 9 days time when the lava has gone deep enough it stops moving the Laval cuticle hardens and seen here on the surface and speed it up changes in color from white to black the lava has now become the puparium and the adult develops inside it two molts take place within the puparium the first produces the pupa and the second the Imago here you can see the changes by x-ray like all stages of the life cycle the duration of the puparial period depends on the ambient temperature at a mean temperature of 25° Celsius it lasts about 30 days this is the best stage at which to collect seif flies for laboratory work here soil from a dry riverbed is being saved and the pupy collected when this is ready to emerge the amargo breaks the anterior end of the puparium the balloon-like tum on the head of the fly between its eyes expands and contracts repeatedly and helps it to get out the fly is on its back its probos Springs out and it slowly struggles out of the puparium normally of course all this takes place Underground and movements of the tum assist the upward passage of the insect through the soil the fly breaks through to the surface and rests while its wing veins fill with fluid the wings gradually expand and then dry out this takes several minutes here you see the process speeding it up five times the fly has some food reserves left over from the puparial stage but it's important for it to obtain its first blood meal as soon as possible when its wings are strong enough the fly goes in search of a new host and the cycle is complete