The means of attachment of the larvae of horse, zebra and rhinoceros bot-flies (Diptera: Gasterophilidae)

The unusual structure of the mouth hooks of the third instar larvae of the species of Gasterophilus and Gyrostigma, parasites of the alimentary canal of Equideae and Rhinocerotidae respectively, is described.     

Two aberrant species of Holorusia Loew (Diptera: Tipulidae)

A number of features of the two aberrant, sexually dimorphic, Asiatic crane-flies Holorusia carmichaeli and H.pluto are described for the first time. The possible adaptive significance of abdominal modifications in H.carmichaeli is discussed.     

Batrachomyia strigapes (Diptera) parasitism of Uperoleia laevigata (Anura).

To quantify the occurrence of the dipteran parasite Batrachomyia strigapes, the ground frog assemblage associated with a large ephemeral wetland in Western Sydney was sampled between January 1999 and April 2000. Parasite infection was restricted to Uperoleia laevigata (5.1%, n = 1,492). Parasites were found under the parotoid glands, most frequently on the left side. After correction for frog size, infection was shown to significantly reduce frog weight. Despite reduced individual fitness, because the level of infection was low in the population, it is unlikely to have a major effect on the anuran population under current environmental conditions.     

The orientation behaviour of horse flies and deer flies (Tabanidae, Diptera)

The Manitoba Fly Trap is illustrated and described and its uses in behaviour studies, surveys, insect control and perhaps population studies are enumerated. Its advantages over other traps for diurnal biting flies are discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Die Manitoba-Fliegenfalle wird abgebildet und beschrieben. Ihre Verwendungsmöglichkeiten bei der Verhaltensforschung, Sammlung und Bekämpfung von Insekten und vielleicht bei Massenwechselstudien werden aufgezählt und ihre Vorteile vor anderen Fallen für den Fang diurnaler Stechfliegen diskutiert.

     

Systematics and distribution of horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of Jordan.

The horse fly fauna of Jordan consists of 24 species belonging to seven genera. The present study adds two new records; Tabanus unifasciatus and Tabanus lunatus. Keys and illustrations for the horse flies of Jordan are presented based on examined materials. Distribution and geographic ranges for each species is also given.     

Distribution of halophilous species of horse flies in Croatia (Diptera: Tabanidae)

In the past 20 years, fauna and ecology of horse flies (Tabanidae) were intensively studied in Croatia, especially in the Ramsar sites as wetlands of international importance. Different habitat requirements of larvae were recognised and adults of 78 species in 10 genera were recorded. The true aquatic and semiaquatic larvae are represented by several species of the genera Chrysops Meigen, 1803 Hybomitra Enderlein, 1922. Some species from this ecological group are typical inhabitants of saline biotopes. In the Croatian fauna three halophilous species were recorded: Chrysops italicus Meigen, 1804, Hybomitra acuminata (Loew, 1858) and H. expollicata (Pandellé, 1883). The distribution of these species in Croatia covers 7, 17 and 3 UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) grids, respectively. Specimens were primarily collected in habitats with brackish water along the Adriatic coast, such as Vransko Lake, the mouth of the River Cetina, the delta of the River Neretva and Mljet Island. Only specimens of H. acuminata were recorded in the continental part of Croatia. They were sporadically collected on localities along the Danube floodplain and on four localities near the river Drava. The distribution of H. acuminata in the continental part indicates otherwise rare saline habitats along the Drava and Danube rivers (1.38% of the total catch of the Hybomitra – species from the floodplain).     

Key to the eggs of the equid stomach bot flies Gasterophilus Leach 1817 (Diptera: Gasterophilidae) utilizing scanning electron microscopy

Abstract. A key to the eggs of the equid stomach bot flies is presented. Scanning electron photomicrographs of eggs are used to illustrate differences among the eight Gasterophilus species. The eggs include those of G.haemorrhoidalis (Linnaeus, 1758), G.inermis (Brauer, 1858), G.intestinalis (De Geer, 1776), G.meridionalis (Piller and Evans, 1926), G.nasalis (Linnaeus, 1758), G.nigricornis (Loew, 1863), G.pecorum (Fabricius, 1794), and G.ternicinctus Gedoelst, 1912. The eggs of G.meridionalis and G.ternicinctus are shown for the first time. Egg profile is the same for a particular species and is used as a key character for egg identification. Colour of eggs is used in some couplets but only as a supplemental character. Absence or presence of striae on the eggs is used as a primary contrasting character to separate G.pecorum from the other seven species. Shape of the striae varies on eggs of the same species, even those dissected from the same specimen, and is therefore deemed an unreliable taxonomic character for further separation of the Gasterophilus species. Eggs of the same species taken from specimens throughout the world appear the same in profile. Two sets of eggs require close inspection for adequate identification: G.inermis and G.nigricornis separated primarily by the shape of the microphylar region; and G.intestinalis and G.ternicinctus separated by the shape of the egg ventrum. All other eggs have very unique and distinctive profiles. Only G.pecorum was found to possess the Type-II egg attachment organ (AO) used for adherence of the egg to plants or flat surfaces. The eggs of the remaining seven species possess a Type-I AO used to attach the eggs to hair shafts. The type of AO and the degree that the Type-I AO is extended posteriorly were used as key characters in the first and second couplet respectively.     

Preliminary list of horse flies (Diptera, Tabanidae) of Serbia

Thirty six species of horse flies (Tabanidae) were previously known from Serbia (Europe). The present faunistic study of horse flies (Tabanidae) has resulted in the recording of the 4 new species Atylotus fulvus (Meigen, 1804); Tabanus miki Brauer in Brauer and Bergenstamm, 1880; Tabanus unifasciatus Loew, 1858; and Heptatoma pellucens (Fabricius, 1776), in the fauna of Serbia. The genus Heptatoma Meigen, 1803 is cited for the first time in the fauna of Serbia. 40 species are currently known from Serbia, belonging to nine genera. The fauna can be considered relatively poorly studied. Most of the species belong to the Boreal-Eurasian type of fauna 23, followed by the South European group with 8 species, the Mediterranean group with 6 species, European group with 2 species and Central European group with 1 species.     

Effects of Protocalliphora braueri (Diptera: Calliphoridae) parasitism and inclement weather on nestling sage thrashers.

Infection with blow fly larvae (Protocalliphora braueri) had no effect on sage thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus) nestling weight or size at fledging nor on mean fledging age. However, the combination of cold, wet weather and parasite infection did significantly reduce nestling survival and the percent young fledged.     

Natural efficiency of parasitism by Billaea rhynchophorae (Blanchard) (Diptera: Tachinidae) for the control of Rhynchophorus palmarum (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The occurrence of the tachinid parasitoid Billaea rhynchophorae (Blanchard) on larvae of the palm weevil Rhynchophorus palmarum (L.) was evaluated in plantations of piassava palm (Attalea funifera Mart.) and African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacquin), in southeastern Bahia, Brazil. The monthly percentages of parasitism were evaluated during 13 months, from November 2000 to November 2001, based on the comparison between the number of parasitized and non-parasitized cocoons of R. palmarum. Mean parasitism was 40% and ranged from 50% in November 2000 to 18% in July 2001. While there is no method of mass reproduction of the parasitoid, a simple management practice is recommended, in order to preserve its beneficial effects in palm plantations.     

The orientation of horse flies and deer flies (Tabanidae, Diptera): I. The attractance of heat to Tabanids

Tabanid flies display an exceptionally strong tendency to orientate to and congregate in enclosures which accumulate heat during daylight. In order to study this behaviour to the best advantage and perhaps also to exploit it toward practical control a helio-thermal trap was designed and tested. This trap converts solar radiation to heat and is so designed that tabanids collect in a killing bottle. A number of ecological, ethological and practical applications of the trap are discussed in the light of data obtained to date.

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Résumé Plusieurs espèces de tabanides semblent être fortement attirées par une source de chaleur sensiblement plus élevée que celle de la temperature ambiante. Ces espèces se comportent ainsi surtout quand il fait très chaud alors qu'elles sont tout particulièrement actives. Nous avons profité de ce comportement pour construire un piège hélio-thermique ainsi appelé parce qu'il produit une chaleur tirée de l'énergie solaire.Les tabanides attirés par ce piège y pénètrent par la partie inférieure, et, apparemment attirés par phototaxis volent vers le sommet. Dans cet espace la temperature s'élève audessus de la limite tolérable et les tabanides sont abrutis par la chaleur. Alors ils tombent par un entonnoir dans un récipient contenant du cyanure. Les tabanides capturés sont exclusivement des femelles: fait de la plus haute importance dans l'emploi pratique de ce piège.Cependant ce piège a d'autres applications comme instrument de recherches entomologiques pour les taxonomistes, les oecologistes et les éthologues. Il est fort probable qu'un simple dispositif de moulinet actionné par le vent et créant un mouvement rotatoire augmenterait son attraction sur les tabanides et augmenterait sa valeur pratique aussi bien que sa valeur scientifique. Uu autre emploi important résulterait de son adaptation à l'étude des substances qui attirent ou repoussent ces insectes.

     

Rearing immature horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) by using a substrate of bryophytes and sand

A new method for rearing immature horse flies by using a substrate of bryophytes and sand is described and the advantages of such substrate for maintenance of species with long development periods are discussed.     

Seasonal abundance of horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) from two locations in eastern Croatia.

A total of 10,539 tabanid horse flies from 22 species and five genera was collected in the Tikves forest within the Kopacki rit Nature Park in eastern Croatia. Seasonal abundance was analyzed for the six most abundant species. Tabanus maculicornis, Tabanus tergestinus, and Haematopota pluvialis reached their highest peak abundance in the fourth week of June. Atylotus loewianus and Tabanus bromius reached their highest peak of abundance in the first week of August, whereas Tabanus sudeticus reached its maximum abundance in the third week of July. Horse flies also were collected once a week on the pasture at Petrijevci from mid-May to mid-September during 1993. Paired collections were made from a Malaise trap and from a horse by using a sweep net. A total of 2,867 tabanids belonging to 26 species was collected. The number of tabanids collected on horses was much higher than the total captured with Malaise traps. On their natural host (horse), 2.6 times more tabanids were collected than in the traps. Seasonal abundance was analyzed only for the eight most abundant species. Chrysops paralellogrammus, Tabanus autumnalis, Tabanus bromius, Tabanus tergestinus, Haematopota pluvialis, and Haematopota subcylindrica all reached their highest peak of abundance in the second week of July, whereas Tabanus maculicornis reached the maximal peak of abundance in the third week of June. Seasonal meteorological variability that occurs periodically from one year to another has a significant influence on the maximal peaks of tabanid abundance.     

The subgenus Scaptodrosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Four major subgenera, Drosophila, Sophophora, Hirtodrosophila and Scaptodrosophila, and several minor subgenera, have been recognized in the genus Drosophila. The hitherto little studied subgenus Scaptodrosophila, possessing a complicated synonymy, contains 144 named species, or about 11% of the total described in the genus; it is likely that many more Scaptodrosophila species await discovery. Scaptodrosophila probably originated in tropical Asia, and the greatest Scaptodrosophila faunas occur in Asia, south-east Asia, New Guinea, Australia and Africa, with very few species in north and south America and Europe. Scaptodrosophila species usually possess a pair of prescutellar bristles, a propleural bristle, and three large subequal sternopleural bristles; other morphological features are more variable. Ecological information concerning the majority of Scaprodrosophila species is scanty or absent, but known feeding or breeding sites include tree sap, fungi, fruit, flowers and 1eaf litter; larvae of at least one species are gall forming in plant tissues. The establishment of species groups is complicated by lack of detailed knowledge of many species, but six groups containing four or more species are recognized.     

The orientation behaviour of horse flies and deer flies (Tabanidae: Diptera) IV. The influence of some physical modifications of visual decoys on orientation of horse flies

It was shown that the orientation of adult tabanids to visually attractive glossy black targets is little influenced by temperature and wind-actuated movement of the targets. The size of the targets was critical only for small targets provided that the black silhouette area was reduced without dappling or without striping by light-coloured areas.

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Die orientierung der bremsen (Tabanidae: diptera). IV. Der einfluss einiger physikalischer veränderungen der optischen ziele bei der orientierung der bremsen

Zusammenfassung Es wurde gezeigt, dass die Orientierung von Tabaniden-Imagines auf hoch attraktive, glänzende, schwarze Ziele durch die Temperatur und Bewegung der Ziele wenig beeinflusst wird. Die Grösse der Ziele war nur bei kleinen Ziel kritisch, vorausgesetzt dass die Fläche der schwarzen Silhouette nicht durch weiße Fleckung oder Streifung verkleinert wurde.

     

Dasybasis elquiensis, a new species of horse fly from Northern Chile (Diptera: Tabanidae: Diachlorini)

The female of Dasybasis elquiensis, new species, is described and illustrated from specimens collected in Paso La Ternera, Elqui Province, north Chile. Its relationships to other Dasybasis species are discussed.     

The selection of pupation sites by the stalk-eyed fly Diopsis thoracica (Diptera: Diopsidae) and pupal parasitism in some rice cultivars

Six rice cultivars (lines (TKM6, OS6, ADNY 11, IR28, Rexero and IR579-48-1) were used to determine the pupation sites of Diopsis thoracica and their effects on pupal parasitism. There was a general preference for pupation on the first three outer leaf sheaths. Preference was also observed for healthy tillers compared with damaged ones, except in OS6 where there was no significant difference between pupation on healthy and damaged tillers. Pupae on the first two outer leaf sheaths were heavily parasitised by the eulophid Tetrastichus (Neotrichoporoides) sp. (Hymenoptera). The level of parasitism ranged from 17·6% in OS6 to 58·8% in Rexero, with an overall mean of 38·9% for the entire experimental plot. The number of parasites per pupa ranged from 0·5 in OS6 to 3·0 in Rexero, with an overall mean of 1·37. There was a strong relationship between (a) parasitism (%) (r = 0·68); (b) number of parasites per pupa per variety (r = 0·90) and pupal length. The relationship between parasitism (%) and parasite density was very strong (r = 0·89), but a marginal improvement in relationship was obtained when parasitism (%) was correlated with log parasite density (r = 0·94), thus possibly suggesting weak interaction between the parasites.