EFFECT OF THE RED IMPORTED FIRE ANT (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE) AND CARCASS TYPE ON THE DAILY OCCURRENCE OF POSTFEEDING CARRION-FLY LARVAE (DIPTERA, CALLIPHORIDAE, SARCOPHAGIDAE)

Red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren, caused an increase i n the proportion of gaps in the daily occurrence of postfeeding larvae of Cochliomyia macellaria (F.) in carrion-baited traps. Chrysomya ruf ifacies appeared later in the decomposition process and over a wider p eriod of days in goat than in rabbit carcasses. The dependence of pres ence or absence of a carrion arthropod taxon at a given point in succe ssion on interactions between other arthropods or carcass type must be considered when using successional data to estimate postmortem interv als.