Isolation and morphological study of ecologically-important insect “Hermetia illucens” collected from Roorkee compost plant

Abstract

Certain species of Hermetia illucens, also known as the Black Soldier Fly<br />(BSF), were found in a compost plant in Roorkee located in Northern India. Its larvae are<br />voracious eaters of organic waste, hence can play an ecologically-important role in solid<br />waste management. Morphological analysis of various stages of BSF life cycle by SEM<br />showed that its body along with its wings is densely covered with hair. The identified<br />species of BSF were black in color and oviposited into the composted material. The larvae<br />grew up to 30 mm long in 12 days from an initial length of only 6mm, gaining almost 200%<br />of its initial weight after voraciously feeding on organic waste. The mouth of the H. illucens<br />showed a well-developed mandibular-maxillary complex that had similar characteristics of<br />scavengers, making the insect a suitable candidate for organic waste consumption.