The increased severity and frequency of elevated temperatures due to climate change is changing species distributions and driving thermal selection for several species, but many potential effects are still unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of an acute thermal stress on the oviposition performance of the hairy maggot blow fly Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart), an introduced species of ecological, economic, and forensic importance. Adult virgins were exposed to 25°C, 42°C, or 44°C for 1-h, and then maintained at ~25°C in mixed-sex colonies for 14-d. Pre-breeding heat exposure had no effect on male or female reproductive success, except for females exposed to 44°C. Females exposure to 44°C before breeding oviposited sooner (2.5 ± 0.0 days), more frequently (0.52 ± 0.4), and produced a greater total egg mass (1.18 ± 0.25 g) than any other treatment group. Thus, a brief exposure to non-lethal elevated temperatures may affect the timing and intensity of insect oviposition, potentially affecting ecological processes and related applications.

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