Environmental and Developmental Drivers of Blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Microbiome Succession

We investigated how environment and development shape the microbiome of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae), key colonizers of decomposing vertebrate remains. In a longitudinal design, we profiled bacterial communities across all developmental stages (egg, larval instars, pupa, adult) in populations reared on carrion and under controlled laboratory conditions. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we characterized microbiome composition, diversity, and core taxa associated with specific life stages and rearing environments. The resulting dataset captures pronounced successional shifts through metamorphosis and highlights strong effects of rearing substrate on microbiome diversity and structure. These data support ecological, evolutionary, and forensic research on insect-microbe interactions and the role of environmental microbial reservoirs in shaping blow fly microbiomes.