Sarcophaga crassipalpis conforms to the basic bilateral symmetry body plan for arthropods and insects by possessing jointed-appendages, a sclerotized external cuticle, and an internal muscular system that functions as levers for movement.[3]
The six legs possess a tarsus, or foot, with a pair of claws for gripping rough surfaces. Beneath the claws is a fleshy, glandular adhesive pad called a pulvillus, which is used on smooth surfaces.[4]
Sarcophaga crassipalpis is an insect in the order Diptera, meaning “two-winged”. As with other flies, S. crassipalpis has one pair of wings used for flying. Posterior to the wings is a small pair of knob-like structures (called halteres), which function as organs of balance.[5]
Like other dipterans, S. crassipalpis reproduces utilizing complete metamorphosis, i.e. the life cycle consists of the following stages: egg, larva (called a maggot), pupa, and adult.
Most notably, S. crassipalpis will enter diapause under very specific environmental stimuli. Photoperiod exposure received by embryos in the uterus is one factor in initiating diapause.[6] It is sensitive to specific environmental stimuli in its early larval stage and then enters diapause as a pupa. Sarcophaga crassipalpis enters an overwintering pupal diapause in response to cues of a short day-length received during late embryonic and early larval life.[7]DiapauseinS. crassipalpis is not a complete cessation of gene expression. It is a separate developmental pathway that is expressed by another set of genes.[2] It lays its eggs in open flesh wounds, typically the wounds of livestock.[8] Pesticides have been designed to interfere with the normal development, killing only larva.[9]
^Induction and Termination of Pupal Diapause in Sarcophaga (Diptera: Sarcophagidae)
David L. Denlinger
Biological Bulletin, Vol. 142, No. 1 (Feb., 1972), pp. 11-24
(article consists of 14 pages)
Published by: Marine Biological Laboratory
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1540242
