Rearing of Texas tabanidae (Diptera). 1. Collection, feeding and maintenance of coastal marsh species

Date

1978

Authors

Thompson PH
Krauter PC
Saunders RL
Devik O

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Abstract

In order to study methods of rearing, 1639 females of several species of coastal marsh Tabanidae were collected in modified Manitoba Traps and in modified Animal Traps, augmented with COSUB-2 from dry ice, at west Galveston Bay, Texas (USA); 5 weekly collections from 18 July-17 Aug, inclusive, produced the following totals of dominant species: Tabanus nigrovittatus 1228; T. lineola var. hinellus 349; and T. acutus 62. Immediately after their collection, many females fed on warmed, citrated beef blood which was held in prophylactics derived from animal membranes. From 26.7-39.6% of 353 females of the 3 species engorged to repletion on prophylactics placed on top of trap collection containers. Survivorship curves for one sample population showed that mortality rates were fairly constant at all age levels for these 3 species; 50% and 0% survivorships, respectively, occurred at 5 days and 50 days for T. nigrovittatus ; 4 days and 36 days, T. lineola var. hinellus ; and 9 days and 49 days, T. acutus . Comparison of collection dates of minor species, with that from a study made in 1971, indicated that several inland species had greatly declined or disappeard in the 6-yr interim between 1971 and 1977

Description

80-625

Keywords

age, Diptera, dominant species, experimental culture, feeding, Galveston Bay, levels, Maintenance, Membranes, Mortality, rearing, Tabanidae, Texas, USA, USA,Texas, zoogeography

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