Wandering behaviour and pupariation in tsetse larvae

Abstract .Following parturition, the third instar larva of Glossina morsitans morsitans West begins a wandering period in which it crawls to the site of pupariation. The duration of wandering can be drastically shortened by pinching or by denying the larva physical contact with the substrate. Contact with water increases the wandering period. Duration of subsequent activities appears to be rigidly fixed. At the end of the wandering period, the larva quickly progresses through a stereotypic sequence of behaviours that include immobilization and excretion of a liquid from the anus, retraction of the anterior segments, cuticular shrinkage, and tanning. Muscular activity and mechanical changes in the cuticle are reflected in changes of haemocoelic pressure. Muscular contractions produce pressure pulses that gradually increase in frequency and intensity, reaching a peak during retraction of the anterior segments. Changes in the mechanical properties of the cuticle cause a more gradual elevation of baseline pressure as the cuticle shrinks and loses its plasticity. As tanning begins, muscular activity ceases and haemocoelic pressure gradually decreases. In spite of its unusual early development within the confines of the female's uterus, the free-living larva shows the full behavioural repertoire observed in other cyclor-rhaphous Diptera at pupariation.