Morphology of Female Adult Black Soldier Fly Under Slaughterhouse Waste and Rice Bran Growing Medium

Abstract

The effectiveness of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) farming within a sustainable waste management framework heavily depends on the choice of a suitable rearing substrate. This study aimed to assess the morphological characteristics of female adult BSF reared on growing media composed of slaughterhouse waste (SW) and rice bran (RB). This study was conducted at the Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia. This study employed an experimental approach using a completely randomized design, consisting of five treatment groups with six replications each. The treatments used in this study T0: 100% SW (control), T1: 75% SW + 25% RB, T2: 50% SW + 50% RB, T3: 25% SW + 75% RB, and T4: 100% RB. The results demonstrated that antennae width, antennae length, head length, head width, wing length, wing width, front leg length, front leg width, middle leg width, middle leg length, back leg width, and back leg length did not significantly differ (P>0.05) among treatments. However, SW and RB growing medium significantly affect (P<0.05) body length, body width, abdomen width, and abdomen length. In conclusion, while the primary aim was to assess morphological variation, these results suggest that the composition of the growing medium can influence body size traits in female adult BSF. An increased proportion of RB led to improved body dimensions, particularly in the abdomen, which may have implications for future applications involving selective breeding or reproductive performance.