Small, fast and quick to reproduce, the fly is difficult to capture in the act of mating. Despite this, the study of fly reproduction has produced a large body of research. Current study reveals that flies employ a variety of reproductive strategies that are nothing short of sophisticated.
How Does a Fly Reproduce? Life Cycle of Maggots
The Strike
Mating begins when the male approaches the female. The male advances from any direction. Quickly, he will "strike" or jump toward the female. If the strike occurs in the air, the male and female will fall to a surface. If contact is made, the male generally lands on the dorsum (top) of the female's thorax, facing in the same direction as the female. The male's front pair of legs, the prothoracic and mesothoracic, will rest on the base of the female's wings. The metathoracic or hind legs of the male sit beneath the female's abdomen at the base of her wings. The female's wings extend out, vibrating rapidly and often accompanied by a loud buzzing sound. During the process, the female's hindmost (metathoracic) legs lift into the air and fold underneath her wings. Once in position, the male moves forward, stroking the head of the female with his foremost, prothoracic legs. During this stage, if the female has previously mated, she may struggle fiercely to extricate the male.
Copulation
Supposing the female does not shake him loose, the male will advance toward the rear of the female. Now he will place the ventral (bottom) part of his abdomen against her (top) dorsal abdominal segments. The front (prothoracic) legs of the male may now come to rest on the thorax or wings, the mesothoracic (middle) legs of the male may hang alongside the female's abdomen or on the base or top of her wings. His metathoracic (rear) legs will grasp onto the lower (ventral) portion of the female. Often his legs overlap crosswise. The female's wings will by now have resumed a normal positioning. During mating, the female thrusts her ovipositor into
the genital opening of the male to obtain sperm from the male. Though flies are quick insects, their mating time is not. Mating may last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Logically, longer mating time tends to result in greater number of useful sperm. Sperm is stored inside the female in the spermatheacae, which hold sperm until the ova are released from the ovaries. Once fertilized, the female releases eggs through her ovipositor, a cyclindrical body part that telescopes out as it directs eggs into suitable media, such as manure or rotting food.
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