Biology

Investigatory
Project
STUDY OF DEVLOPMENTAL
STAGES OF HOUSEFLY AND
COCK ROACH
S.No. Title PageNo
1 Introduction 4

2 Cool facts 6
3 Classification 7
4 Experiment 7
Developmental stages of 8
Housefly
Developmental stage of
6 .15
Cockroach
7 Relationship with Humans 19
8 Importance In Ecosystem 20

9 Conclusion 21

10 Bibliography 22
 Insects constitute the largest classof animals
representing over 75ooo species. They are the most
successful and invertebrates and the only major
competitors with humans for dominance in the world. Today,
the life of every human being is affected by insects in one
way or the other. Quit several insect varieties are closely
connected with some of our diseases like malaria, cholera,
plague, etc. and without day today life. Housefly and
Cockroach .
Houseflies have been pursuing mankind throughout
all recorded history, and probably from the time man
emerged from his caves and began to walk erect Houseflies
are cosmopolitan in distribution and are intimately
associated with human life. Hence, they are found in all
places of human dwelling. They remain active in all seasons
except winters.

Houseflies spread several communicable

diseases like cholera,typhoid,dysentery,etc.Indeed,
Flies are probably responsible for more deaths
 Cockroaches are also cosmopolitan in
distribution and are found in such places of human
dwellings, where darkness, warmth, dampness, and
plenty of organic debris are available. Thus, one can
easily find these hidden in our kitchens, sewers, go
downs, railway compartments, ship, etc.

Cockroaches are nocturnal and omnivorous.

They come out of their hiding places during the night
insearch of food.Cockroaches harm us by chewing our
clothes, books, and leatherwares when normal foodin
scanty.

HouseFly Cockroach
Muscadomestica Periplantaamericana
Housefly:
 Houseflies live on a liquid
diet.

 They can taste with their

feet.
 They can see behind them.
 Life cycle of a housefly only lasts for
Around 3 days.
 They process around 250 in a
single second.
Cockroaches:
 A cockroach can live for a week
without ts head!
 Cockroaches can hold their breath for up
 To 4ominutes.
 Cockroaches can survive a nuclear
 explosion.
 They have even been around longer than
 Dinosaurs as early = 359 million years
 ago.
6
Classification Cockroach Housefly

Kingdom Animalia Animalia

Phylum Arthropod Arthropod

class Insects Insects

Subclass Pterygota Pterygota

Super order Dictyptera Panorpida

Order Blattaria Diptera

Genus Periplanta Musca

Species Americana domestica

 Experiment
Aim:
Keeping in view the huge impact that these
insects have on lives of humans, the study of the
developmental stages of the insects Housefly and
Cockroachhave been selectedforthisproject.

Materials Required: Preserved

specimens of different developmental stages of
housefly/cockroach, notebook, pen, etc.

Experimental Procedure:
Get the preserved specimen of different developmental
stages of housefly/cockroach and observe the stages
carefully. Note down your observations in the
notebook.
7
 Observation:
A. DevelopmentalStagesofHousefly
J The house fly has a
completemetamorphosiswithdistinctegg,larvalorm
aggot,pupalandadult
)stages.Thehouseflyoverwintersineitherthelarval
)orpupalstageundermanurepilesorinother protected
locations. Warm summer conditions are
generallyoptimum for the development of the
housefly,anditcancompleteitslife
cycleinaslittleasseven
)totendays.However,undersuboptimalconditionsthe
)life cycle mayrequire up to two months.As manyasio to
iz generations may occur annually in temperate
regions, while more than zo generations may occur
in subtropicalandtropicalregions. 8
 long.ucino
Inbs

anlerio 0como‹oy
.' spini*erouspacs
sFiracIe
FULLGROWNLARVA(iAGGOT›

9
AdultHousefly
Houseflyhasgreybodyofabout6-7 mlong.
Thebodyisdividedintohead,thoraxand abdomen:
 i. Headi Head is ovoid with two large, lateral
compound eyes.Ommatidia istheunit ofcompound
eye.In thecenter ofhead threeocelliorsimpleeyes are
present. In front of the head are two small, sensitive
antennae.
ii. Theproboscis(mouth)ismadeupof
threeparts
(i) Rostrum
(z)Raustellum
(3)Oraldisc(sucker)
Forfeeding,theraustellum formsfoodchannel. This
pierces into the food and sucks it into the alimentary
canal.
iii. Thorax•Itisdividedintothreeparts:

(i) Prothorax

(z)Mesothorax

(3)Metathorax

10
Themesothorax contains a pairof wings. ar
They transparent and have supporting
veins.Metathorax . contains halters, the
vestigiaJ wings.
iv. Abdomen: Female has five visible segments in the
abdomen with five pairs ofspiraclespresent on thelateral
side. The male has sixth and seventh vestigial segment
also with two pairs of spiracles on them. Fine hairs are
present all over the abdomen. In females 6-g segments
formtheovipositor involved inreproduction.

Compoundete

3Ccelii Prolhorax
Me50jhorax

Fowwinq

Thewhiteegg,abouti.2mminlength,islaid
singlybuteggsarepiledinsmallgroups.Eachfemale
fly can lay up to5oo eggs in several batches of 7s ' •s
eggsoverathreetofour-dayperiod.Thenumberof
eggs produced is afunction offemale sizewhich, itself,
isprincipally aresult of larval nutrition. Maximum egg
productionoccursatintermediatetemperatures,•5tO
3O°C.Often,severalflieswilldeposittheireggsin
proximity,leading tolargemassesoflarvae and pupae.
Eggs mustremain moistor theywill nothatch.

Larva
Early instar larvae are3to 9 mm long, typical
creamy whitish in colour, cylindrical but tapering
toward the head. The head contains one pair of dark
hooks.The posteriorspiraclesare slightly raised and
the spiracular openings are sinuous slits which are
surroundedby anovalblackborder.Thelegless maggot
emerges from the egg in warm weather within eight to
zohours. Maggots immediatelybegin
feedingonanddeveloping inthe material inwhich
theeggwas laid.
Thelarvagoesthr.ough.three'Estarsandafull-
grownmaggot,7tO12mm long,hasagreasy,cream

-colouredappearance.High-moisturemanure favours the

survival of the house fly larva. The optimal
temperature for larval development is 35tO38°C,
thoughlarvalsurvivalisgreatestati7tO3>°C.Larvae
complete their development in four to •3 days at
optimal temperatures, but requirei43odays at
temperaturesof izIO l7°C.
Nutrient-rich substrates such as animal manure
provide an excellent developmental substrate. Verylittle
manure is needed forlarval development, andsand or
soil containing small amounts of degraded manure
allows for successful belowground development. When
the maggot is full-grown, it can crawl upsofeet to a dry,
cool place near breeding
materialandtransformtothepupalstage.

Pupa
The pupal stage, about 8 mm long, is passed in a
pupalcaseformedfromthelastlarvalskinwhich
variesincolourfromyellow,red,brown,toblackas the pupa
ages. The shape of the pupa is quite different from the
larva, being bluntly rounded at both ends. Pupae
complete their developmentin two to six days at 3> tO
37°C,but requirei7tO •7days atabout•4°C).
T-hurrying-fly.escapea-from-thepupaj-
caseusing---:analternatelyswellingandshrinkingsac,called
13
the ptilinum,onthefrontofitshead whichituseslike
apneumatichammertobreakthroughthecase.

AdultorImago
 The house fly is 6 tO 7m long, with the female
usually larger than the male. The female can be
distinguished from the male by the relatively
widespacebetweentheeyes(inmales,theeyesalmost
touch). The head of the adult fly has reddish-eyes and
sponging mouthparts. The thorax bears four narrow
blackstripesand there isasharp upward bencl iiithe
fourth longitudinal wing vein. The abdomen is grey or
yellowish with dark midline ancl irregular dark
markings on the sides. The underside of the male is
yellowish.
Adults usually live is to •sdays but may live up to
two months.Without food, they survive only about twoto
three days. They live longer at cooler temperatures.
Theyrequirefoodbeforetheycopulate.Oviposition
commences four to zo days after copulation. Female
flies need access to suitable food (protein) to allow
them to produce eggs, and manure alone is not
adequate. The potential reproductive capacity of fliesis
tremendous.

14
B. DcvclopmciitalStilgcsofCockroach
The Americancockroachhasthreelife stages:theegg, a
variable number of@ympli iiistars, and the adult. The
lifecyclefromeggtoadultaveragesabout6oodays
 and the adult life span may be another 4oodays. The
nymphs emerge from the egg case after about six to
eight weeks and mature in about six totwelve months.
Adults can live up to one year and an adult female will
produce an average ofisoyoung in her lifetime.
Environmental factors such as temperature and
humidity affect the developmental time of the
American cockroach. Outdoors, the female shows a
preference for moist, concealed oviposition sites .

AdultCockroach
Cockroachisabrown,elongated,dorsoventrally flat
creature of about4omm long and io-iz mm broad. The
body is covered by sclerites (plates) made
upoftin,ThebodyisdividediEtObead,thoraxand
abdomen.
i. Head;Theheadistriangular,hangingdownwards.A pair
of long sensitive antenna isseen infront oftwo lateral
compound eyes. The mouth parts include labrum,
mandibles, maxillae, and hypopharynx.These help the
cockroach in eating varied type of things. is
ii. Thnraxi It isdivided intoparathorax, mesothorax
and metathorax, each bearing a pair of legs. Like
houseflyherealsothelegsaremadeupoffive
 joints, pulvinus and claws. Meso and metathorax
bear a pair of wings each.
iii. Ahdonien: It contains ten segments gradually
narrowing down. The sclerites on dorsal side are
called tergum and on ventral side sternum.
Sternum are only nine. In females7tand g'hsternum
make broad pouh. They also bear a pair
of appendages called analcerci. Males process anal
cerci and anal style in pairs.

1fl(Irmsnlrnner
Cmnoun(Dryr—--

—tItndwing

Females of the American cockroach lay their eggs in a

Jhardened,purse-shapedeggcasecalledanootheca.
)
Aboutoneweekaftermatingthefemaleproducesanoothecaan
d atthe peak of her reproductiveperiod,she
may form two ootheca per week. The females on
average produce one egg case a month for ten months,
laying i6 eggs per egg case. The female deposits the
ootheca near a source of food, sometimes gluing ìt toa
surface with a secretion from her mouth. Thedeposited
ootheca contains water enough for the eggs todevelop
without receìving additional water fromthe substrate.
The egg case is brown when deposited and
turnsblackina day ortwo. Itis about8mmlongand sm
high.
Ńymph
Thenymphstagebeginswhentheegghatchesand
endswiththeemergence oftheadult.Thenumberof
timesanAmericancockroachmolts variesfromsixto
*4•The first ìnstar American cockroach is white
immediately after hatching then becomes a grayish
brown.Aftermolting,subsequentinstarsofthe
cockroachnymphsarewhiteandthenturnreddish-
brown,withtheposterİor.marginsofthethorøcwand
abdominalsegmentsbeingadarkercolor.Wings
17
arenotpresentinthenymphstagesandwingpads
become noticeable ìn the third or fourth instar.
Complete development from egg to adult is about 6oo
days. The nymphs as well as the adults actively forage
for food and water.
LifeCycleofCockroach

18
Relationshipwith
Humans
RouseRy
 Flies are a nuisance, disturbing people at leisure and
atwork,buttheyaredisliked principally becauseoftheir
habits of contaminating foodstuffs. They alternate
betweenbreedingandfeedingindirtyplaceswithfeeding on
human foods, during which process they soften the
foodwithsalivaanddeposittheirfaeces,creatingahealth
hazard. However, fly larvaeareasnutritious asfishmeal,
andcouldbeusedtoconvertwasteto feedfor fishand
livestock. The pesky house fly may be annoying, but this
buzzing insect's genome could improve human
health,according toanewstudy.Althoughweoftenthink of
houseflies asjust a nuisance, they can transmit many
pathogenicbacteriatopeopleandcontributesignificantly to
disease in poor communities where sanitation is limited.
Flies have been used in and artefacts inmany
cultures. In i6t' and •7" century
Europeanvanitas paintings,fliessometimesoccur
asmementomori.Theymayalsobeused forothereffects
asintheFlemishpainting,the Masterof
Frankfu<t*46).Flyamuletswerepopularinancient
Egypt.

ImportanceinEcosystem
1
Cockroach
 Cockroach egg is the only food source of Parasitic
wasps, and they entirely rely upon cockroaches for their
survival. If by any mishap, cockroaches will go extinct,
thenParasitic wasps won't survive, and they toocertainly
becomeextinct.Therearearound4.5oocockroaCh species in
this world and besides wasps; cockroaches are a
significant food source of several other living creatures,
even humans are knownto eatroachesin some cultures.

Besidesbeingafoodsourceforotherlivingcreatures,
roaches have a more significant role to serve in the
ecosystem.Forestroachesare expertin consumingleaf
litterandotherplantmaterials.Themicrobesintheirbellies
help them break down the degrading plant
material which is indigestible for other creatures.
cockroachesarea major source of nitrogen which is vital
forthegrowthoftreesandessentialforthehabitat.
Roachesfeedupondecayingorganicmatter,leaflitter and
wood around it. This material traps a lot of
atmospheric

nitrogeninthem,andwhencockroachesfeeduponthem,they
releasethetrappednitrogeninto sqi((thrguhtheir feces).
Pl;irttsandtrqeg thenta@
inthatnitrogenandithelpsthemgrow.

Conclusion
The Housefly is anobject of biological research, partly
forits variable sex determination mechanism. Although a
widevarietyofsexdeterminationmechanismexistsin
 nature (e.g. Male and Female heterogamy, haplodiploidy,
environmental factors), the way sex is determined is
usually fixed within a species. The housefly is, however,
thought to exhibit multiple mechanisms for sex
determination, such as male heterogamy(lihe mostinsects
and mammals), female heterogamy (like birds), and
maternal control over offspring sex. The exact
mechanismof sex determinationinvolvedis unresolved.
The cockroach isone of themost primitive insects on
Earth.AccordingtotheCockroach Control Manual, their
ancestors livedzoO-350million years ago in the
Carboniferous Period, even before the dinosaurs. The
Carboniferous Period was also called the Age of the
cockroaches because they were so abundant. Some
theoristsestimatethatroachesbranchedofffrom
termitesabOuso tO7illionyearsago.Bothcreatures are
socialinsects whowork in unisonforfood gathering,
reproduction,anddefense.AccordingtotheCockroaches
make great petshome page, thereare over four thousand
species of cockroach.While humans onlyconsider about
*sla.4iï.•+s»r..'xee>'.r°ïsh..is.!.•.*›.iü<.r•+.•x..'=..t%.
thetotalpopulationhereonearth,to bepests.

' ThelargestroachistheMegoblattawhichhasani8-inchi
. wingspan. The heaviest, is the rhinoceros roach of
Australiawhichweighsinat5ograms.Thesmallest
. roach is Attaphilla fungicola which is only four .
millimeterslongandlivesinthenestsofLeafCutterAnts. !
. . .
Thei rhabi tatrangesfromforestfloors,tocaves,towater.
They are highly oized for their environment, and
according to the May igg6 Discover magazine, they can
run at a top speed of five feet per second.