-100- 

 Results 



General Observations 



A laboratory colony of Lu_. diabol ica was established from 164 

 wild-caught females that laid 6012 eggs. From these, 262 male and 252 

 female lst-generation progeny were successfully reared. During the 

 first six generations (from July of 1982 through June of 1983) 1694 

 flies were reared from 14,407 eggs laid by 524 females. Productivity 

 through the first nine generations was rather low, with a mean number 

 of adult progeny per female of only 2.7 (1.4 males and 1.3 females) 

 (Fig. 3-2). During the 7th and 8th generations, critically low numbers 

 of adults were produced, with fewer than one adult per parent female 

 emerging. Whereas the number of adults emerging during the 1st 

 generation was 514, by the 8th only about 60 emerged (Fig. 3-3). In 

 the 9th generation, the colony was rejuvenated with an additional 76 

 Lu . diabol ica egg batches recovered from wild-caught females collected 

 in September 1983 from the same sites as the original colony stock 

 (Chap. 2). The new material was assummed to be representative of the 

 same genetic source from which the original colony stock was derived. 

 This infusion, combined with changes in handling procedures and 

 rearing conditions in the 9th and subsequent generations, increased 

 adult numbers to roughly 1,000 individuals in the 12th generation 

 (Fig. 3-3). From the 8th to the 13th generation, productivity 

 increased steadily from an average of less than one adult progeny per 

 female to nearly nine (Fig. 3-2). In the 14th generation it was 

 necessary to provide a second mating chamber to accomodate the 

 burgeoning adult population. 



