bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Haemolymph lectin and the maturation of trypanosome infections in tsetse
Authors: C. WELBURN SUSAN , MAUDLIN IAN
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT. The tsetse immune system has recently been shown to be involved in trypanosome maturation; lectin secreted in the midgut, normally responsible for preventing the establishment of midgut infections, induces established midgut trypanosomes to mature. We now show that a second lectin, present in tsetse haemolymph, is essential to complete the maturation process. Interactions between tsetse lectins and parasite surface coats probably determine trypanosome transmissibility and may be partly responsible for the distribution of trypanosomiasis in Africa.
Species composition and larval habitats of blowfly (Calliphoridae) populations in upland areas in England and Wales
Authors: DAVIES L.
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT. 1. Bait trapping at upland sites in England and Wales, mainly at 400–700 m altitude, showed that Calliphora vomitoria L. usually outnumbered all other blowflies. C.vicina R.‐D., C.loewi End. and C.alpina Zett were usually present in much lower numbers, with the last‐named occurring at north Pennine sites, but being replaced by C.subalpina Ringd. at a south Pennine (Peak District) and a Welsh site. Catches normally included Cynomya mortuorum L., and Phormia terraenovae R.‐D. was present at about half of the sites, usually in low numbers.

2. Lucilia spp. (predominantly L.caesar L.) were often abundant in catches at 300–430 m, but were absent or rare at 500 m and above, except at certain times.

3. Exposure of mouse carcasses at north Pennine upland sites, and rearing of adults from them, showed that they were colonized in a very indeterminate variable way by C.vicina, C.loewi, C.alpina and Cy.mortuorum, with dominant and subsidiary species varying in identity and numbers within periods as short as 3 weeks.

4. Sampling of large carcasses, i.e. hill sheep casualties in Co. Durham, showed that C.vomitoria predominated as the blowfly colonist, with C.vicina and Cy.mortuorum in much smaller numbers.
Habitats of Culicoides spp. in an intertidal zone of southeast Queensland, Australia
Authors: HAGAN CHRIS E. , KETTLE D. S.
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT. The distribution of immature Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in the intertidal zone was investigated at Redland Bay near Brisbane, southeast Queensland. The aims of this study were to determine the distribution of Culicoides immatures and to identify environmental factors influencing these distributions. Light trapping of adult midges indicated that C.subimmaculatus Lee & Reye, C.marmoratus (Skuse), C.longior Hagan & Reye, C.henryi Lee & Reye, C.cordiger Macfie, may have been breeding in the study site. Soil sampling on six transects traversing mangrove and salt‐marsh revealed the breeding habitats from which immature stages of the first four species were obtained. The elevation, vegetation and soils of positive sites were recorded and analysed for each species of Culicoides. The distribution of intertidal vegetation (mangroves and salt‐marsh plants) was compared to MacNae's (1966) system of mangrove zonation for eastern Australia. The distribution of immature Culicoides did not correspond with mangrove zones, but was related to the presence or absence of intertidal vegetation. C.subimmaculatus was closely associated with a particular substrate and the presence of burrowing crabs.
Estimation of survival rate and oviposition interval of Anopheles balabacensis mosquitoes from mark‐recapture experiments in Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: HII JEFFREY L. K. , BIRLEY MARTIN H. , SANG VUN YUN
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT. An exophilic population of the vector mosquito Anopheles balabacensis Baisas was investigated in two mark‐recapture studies (16.ix‐13.x.l986 and 6–26.i. 1987) at an inland, foothill village in Sabah, Malaysia. Wild female mosquitoes were intercepted as they came to feed on man or buffalo, given a bloodmeal, marked with fluorescent dust and released. The recapture rate was about 12%.

A new method of analysis is proposed which uses cross‐correlation and a time series model. The estimated survival per oviposition cycle was 0.48‐0.54 and the oviposition cycle interval 2–3 days.
The calliphorid larvae parasitic on birds in Japan (Diptera: Calliphoridae)
Authors: IWASA MITSUHIRO , HORI KOJI
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT. The immature stages of Protocalliphora maruyamensis Kano et Shinonaga are newly described and the third instar larva of P.azurea (Fallén) is redescribed from specimens collected in Japan. The larval morphology of Protocalliphora is discussed. A key to the third instar larvae of Japanese bird‐parasitic blowflies is given.
Effect of anti‐mosquito antibodies on the infectivity of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei to Anopheles farauti
Authors: RAMASAMY MANTHRI S. , RAMASAMY RAN J AN
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT. The effect of mouse anti‐mosquito antibodies, present in the bloodmeal, on the infectivity of Plasmodium berghei Vincke to Anopheles farauti Laveran was investigated. Significantly fewer oocysts developed in mosquitoes feeding on mice immunized with sugar‐fed mosquito midgut antigens than in mosquitoes feeding on control mice. Mosquitoes feeding on mice immunized with the midgut antigens derived from sugar‐fed mosquitoes also showed reduced mortality and had lower infection rates than those fed on unimmunized mice. Blood‐fed midgut antigen was less effective in producing these effects than sugar‐fed midgut antigen.
Vector roles of Fennoscandian mosquitoes attracted to mammals, birds and frogs
Authors: JAENSON THOMAS G. T.
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT. 1. Mosquitoes were sampled with five suction traps, from May to October 1983, at a forest site in south‐central Sweden.

2. Twenty‐three species of mosquitoes were identified among the total of 3108 females collected: 4% of them in an unbaited trap, 3% in a trap baited with two frogs, 24% with a guinea‐pig, 28% with a hen and 40% in a trap baited with a rabbit.

3. The dominant species of Culicidae trapped were 39%Aedes communis (De Geer), 21%Ae.cinereus Meigen, 14%Coquillettidia richiardii (Ficalbi), 8%Ae.punctor (Kirby) and 4%Culiseta morsitans (Theobald).

4. Aedes annulipes (Meigen), Ae.cantans (Meigen), Ae.cinereus, Ae.communis and Ae.punctor were mostly attracted to the rabbit, whereas Culiseta morsitans, Culex pipiens L. and/or Cx torrentium Martini were strongly ornithophilic.

5. Based on these and previously published data the ecological and behavioural potential of the mosquitoes to transmit Sindbis, Inkoo, Tahyna and Batai viruses, tularaemia (caused by Francisella tularensis) and Ixodes‐borne borreliosis (caused by Borrelia burgdorferi) in Fennoscandia is discussed.

6. The data support the hypothesis that Sindbis virus, which is enzootic in bird populations in Fennoscandia, is vectored between birds by Cx pipiens I torrentium and Cs.morsitans, and that abundant Aedes spp., particularly Ae.cinereus, which feed on both birds and mammals, are primary link vectors from infective birds to man and other mammals.
Impact of selected pesticides on field population dynamics of parasitic Hymenoptera (Pteromalidae) in caged‐layer poultry manure in southern California, U.S.A.
Authors: MANDEVILLE J. DAVID , MULLENS BRADLEY A. , YU DUU S.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Field studies were conducted at caged‐layer poultry facilities in southern California, U.S.A., to determine the effect of selected pesticides on beneficial Pteromalidae. Weekly parasite sampling was conducted using sentinel Musca domestica L. pupae to assess changes in parasitization in relation to pesticide treatment. Sites were sampled weekly for 5 weeks before treatment and for 8 ‐10 weeks post‐treatment. Treatments were applied twice to six hen houses (four treated plus two controls) at each of two sites. Treatments were: (1) dimethoate (0.5%), spot‐treatment to wet areas only (approximately 5–10% of manure surface); (2) dimethoate (0.5%), entire manure surface; (3) cyromazine (0.1%), entire manure surface; and (4) permethrin (0.05%) applied to all hens in the house for northern fowl mite [Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini and Fanzago)]. The two discrete pesticide applications during an 8‐day period had no significant effect on activity of Muscidifurax spp. and Spalangia spp. at either site.
Bluetongue epidemiology in the Caribbean region: serological and entomological evidence from a pilot study in Barbados
Authors: GREINER E. C. , ALEXANDER F. C. M. , ROACH J. , JOHN V. S. ST. , KING T. H. , TAYLOR W. P. , GIBBS E. P. J.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Variation in the percentage of lambs seroconverting to bluetongue viruses was seen between sites and years in Barbados. Transmission at some sites was nearly absent whereas all lambs at one site became seropositive. The agar gel immunodiffusion test for bluetongue gave consistent results in series of serum samples from 112 of 121 sentinel lambs. Collections of biting midges in association with sheep yielded six species: Culicoides insignis Lutz, C.pusillus Lutz, C.phlebotomus (Williston), C.furens (Poey), C.jamaicensis Edwards and C.trilineatus Fox. The first two species comprised 92% of those caught during a sentinel lamb study and were the predominant species trapped for virus isolation. No viruses were recovered from 5517 C.insignis, 614 C.pusillus, three C.trilineatus and two C.furens placed into pools during two brief intensive trapping operations.
Hypodermosis in the red deer Cervus elaphus in Cordoba, Spain
Authors: MARTINEZ‐GÓMEZ F. , HERNÁNDEZ‐RODRIGUEZ S. , RUIZ‐SANCHEZ P. , MOLINA‐RODERO R. , MARTINEZ‐MORENO A.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The prevalence of red deer hypodermosis and the life cycle of Hypoderma diana Brauer 1858 in three provinces of the south of Spain, Córdoba, Jaen and Ciudad Real, were studied by inspecting 254, thirty‐eight and thirty‐five deer from each province respectively.

The prevalence of infestations was: Cordoba, 87.75%; Jaen, 92.10%, Ciudad Real, 91.42%. From this we deduced an overall prevalence of 88.67%, comprising 88.23% in male deer and 89.96% in female deer.

The intensity of the parasitism in 213 of the 245 animals from Córdoba varied between one warble per animal to more than 100 in 28 of the inspected animals.

The chronology of the life cycle during the hunting period (October to the end of February) was investigated.
Behaviour, physiological states and thermal characteristics of aggregating male Hybomitra illota (Diptera: Tabanidae)
Authors: TAYLOR PHILIP D. , SMITH STEPHEN M.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Male Hybomitra illota (Osten Sacken) were found aggregating in clearings in wooded areas in Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. At these sites they perched on a variety of substrates, and made frequent flights in pursuit of insects flying overhead. We know that these pursuit flights were part of the mating behaviour because some pursuits of female H.illota resulted in copulation. We call the aggregation sites ‘mating arenas’ and the behaviour exhibited by males ’perch‐and‐pursuer’. Aggregation occurred only on sunny days, when ambient temperatures exceeded 18oC. Males perched in sunny areas, except during hot afternoons, when some males were found in dappled shade. Some marked males remained at or returned to sites for up to 13 days, but most males did not remain at the same area within a site, even during the same day.

The contents of the oesophageal diverticula of males were depleted daily. Concentration of diverticular carbohydrates changed through the season. Thoracic temperatures of males were high (c. 37oC) and were regulated, probably both behaviourally and physiologically.

The sites and behaviour of male H. illota at aggregation arenas bear some resemblance to lek sites and lekking in vertebrates. Males are aggregated in an arena but, within the perching component of the behaviour, we saw no evidence of male territoriality, display, or female choice. However, competition, display, or mate choice could occur within the pursuit‐flight component.
Nocturnal detachment of the tick Ixodes hexagonus from nocturnally active hosts
Authors: MATUSCHKA FRANZ‐RAINER , RICHTER DANIA , FISCHER PETER , SPIELMAN ANDREW
Published: March 2008

Abstract. To determine whether the pattern of engorgement of Ixodes hexagonus Leach (Acarina: Ixodidae) in Central Europe may influence host specificity, the host relationships of the sub‐adult stages of this tick were examined and the time of detachment compared with the activity patterns of various candidate vertebrate hosts.

The main hosts for I.hexagonus appear to be hedgehog and fox. This tick species seems to be incapable of feeding on any rodent commonly encountered in the study region, or on reptiles or birds. Virtually all of these ticks detach during the scotophase, becoming replete mainly during the late evening and early morning hours, regardless of the kind of host or of the time of attachment. These nocturnally detaching ticks, paradoxically, focus their feeding on nocturnally active hedgehogs and foxes, in spite of the possibility that such behaviour might cause them to disperse from the nests of the host. Dispersion is prevented, however, by the tendency of these ticks to detach while their host naps.

The tick–host association of I. hexagonus with hedgehogs may serve to perpetuate such zoonotic, Ixodes‐bome infections as Lyme disease.
Relative abundance and species composition of some dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) in Bangladesh
Authors: KABIR S. M. H. , KABIR ANWARA , MAJUMDER M. Z. R.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. 1. The occurrence and community structure of dung beetle species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) in the faecal deposits of man and some domestic vertebrates varied according to dung type, seasonal conditions and soil type.

2. Of the twenty‐four species belonging to six genera, Onthophagus was the prevalent genus and O.ramosellus the most abundant species.

3. Cattle dung was the dominant food type.
Development of resistance in laboratory animals to adults of the tick Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi
Authors: RECHAV Y. , CLARKE F. C. , ELS D. A. , DAUTH J.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Acquired resistance to adults of the two‐host tick Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi Neumann has been demonstrated in guinea‐pigs and rabbits. Four infestations of both hosts with R.e.evertsi adults resulted in a significant reduction in the mean weight of the engorged females. A decline in the mean weight of the female ticks was also observed in ticks which fed on a rabbit previously injected with serum taken from a rabbit resistant to R.e.evertsi. This suggests that humoral immunity may have an important role in the acquired resistance to ticks. In both hosts an increase in the level of serum globulins was recorded. In rabbits the level of gamma globulin was affected, while in guinea‐pigs an increase was observed in the concentration of α and β globulins. The differences in host responses to the R.e.evertsi adults are discussed.
Trypanosoma vivax in Glossina palpalis gambiensis do not appear to affect feeding behaviour, longevity or reproductive performance of the vector
Authors: MAKUMI J. N. , MOLOO S. K.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Feeding behaviour of Glossina palpalis gambiensis Vanderplank infected with Trypanosoma vivax Ziemann was studied and compared with that of uninfected control tsetse. The parameters measured were: total number of probes into the ear‐skin of rabbits; rate of bloodmeal engorgement; weight of freshly ingested blood; survival; and mean weight of pupae. The results showed that the rosettes of T. vivax parasites in the labrum did not interfere with the feeding behaviour of the vectors. Furthermore, mean survival of T.vivax‐infected males was significantly higher (82.2±4.2 days) compared with that of uninfected ones (70.5±3.1 days). However, with the female tsetse, mean survival of those infected was lower (98.8±4.0 days) compared to the uninfected controls (102.2±5.6days), but the difference was not significant. A few infected males and females lived a little longer than the uninfected ones. Fecundity of the female tsetse remained unaffected by the infection, and furthermore the mean weight of pupae from the infected females was not significantly different from that of pupae from the uninfected control group. Thus the physiology of pregnant female tsetse in terms of nourishment of intra‐uterine larva was unaffected by T. vivax infection.

Two successive probes into the skin of two different goats followed by feeding on a third goat by each of four infected tsetse resulted in successful transmission of the infection to eleven out of twelve goats. Thus probing alone into the skin of this host can result in the transmission of T. vivax infection.
The decline of a Glossina morsitans submorsitans belt in the Egbe area of the derived savanna zone, Kwara State, Nigeria
Authors: OMOOGUN G. A. , DIPEOLU O. O. , AKINBOADE O. A.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. In the the early 1970s the Egbe area of Nigeria was known to be one of high trypanosomiasis risk, with four Glossina species G.morsitans submorsitans Newstead, G.longipalpis Wiedemann, G.palpalis palpalis Robineau‐Desvoidy and G.tachinoides Westwood present. Grazing by Fulani pastoralists used to be short‐term and only in the dry season. In recent years these pastoralists have grazed their cattle in the area throughout the year and this has prompted a reappraisal of the tsetse situation.

Tsetse populations were sampled for 3 years using hand‐net catches from man or an ox and biconical traps. Resident livestock, slaughter cattle and some of the flies were examined for trypanosome infection.

Of the four tsetse species previously reported from the area, only the riverine species, G.p.palpalis and G.tachinoides, were encountered during the investigation. None of the 152 G.p.palpalis and 52 G.tachinoides examined was infected with trypanosomes. No infection was detected in 101 slaughtered cattle, 65 live Muturu, twelve goats and two pigs by wet film examination. However, a 14.3%Trypanosoma vivax infection rate was detected by Haematocrit Centrifugation Technique (HCT) examination in twenty‐one slaughtered cattle. Increased human activities over the years had destroyed much of the vegetation and depleted the wild‐life population to an extent that resulted in the disappearance of G.m.submorsitans and G.longipalpis, resulting in turn in a greatly reduced trypanosomiasis risk. It is likely that a similar trend is occurring in other areas of the Derived Savanna and Forest zones of West Africa as the human population expands. As a result, more cattle are resident in these zones now than in the past and a reappraisal of cattle distribution in Nigeria is required.
Base‐line susceptibility of the oriental latrine fly, Chrysomya megacephala (Diptera: Calliphoridae), to five insecticides
Authors: MIHARA M. , KURAHASHI H.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Susceptibility to five insecticides was assessed on seven colonies of the oriental latrine fly, Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius), originating from Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and on C.saffranea (Bigot) from PNG.

All the colonies we're susceptible to fenitrothion, diazinon, dichlorvos, permethrin and y‐HCH, although the Jakarta, Manila and Tokyo colonies of C.megacephala were least susceptible (most tolerant) to diazinon, dichlorvos and permethrin. Feral forms of both Chrysomya species were 4–5‐fold more susceptible to permethrin at the LD50 level than were all six colonies of the synanthropic form of C.megacephala.
Temperature‐dependent variation in Anopheles merus larval head capsule width and adult wing length: implications for anopheline taxonomy
Authors: SUEUR DAVID LE , SHARP BRIAN L.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Seasonal variations in mosquito larval head capsule width and adult female wing length were investigated in a field population of Anopheles merus Donitz at Nceswana Lake, Ophansi, within the endemic malaria area of Natal, South Africa. An inverse relationship was detected between each of these morphological characters and seasonal fluctuations in air/water temperatures. Mean head capsule width in all larval instars decreased by 4.8‐7.9% in summer, while mean wing length decreased by 19.6%. These changes are discussed in relation to the annual range in mean air temperature in southern Africa and the distribution of An. merus. Implications for the use of such morphological characteristics in existing taxonomic keys are discussed.
Genetic variation in Glossina brevipalpis, G.longipennis and G.pallidipes, and the phenetic relationships of Glossina species
Authors: GOODING R. H. , MOLOO S. K. , ROLSETH B. M.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Glossina brevipalpis Newstead, G.longipennis Corti, and G.pallidipes Austen maintained at ILRAD, Nairobi, Kenya, were examined for genetic variation of fourteen enzyme loci, using poly‐acrylamide gel electrophoresis. G.brevipalpis had six polymorphic loci, an average of 1.46 effective alleles per locus and a mean heterozygosity per locus of 20.0±7.1%. The figures for the same parameters in G.longipennis were 3, 1.16 and 8.2±4.9%, and for G.pallidipes the figures were 7, 1.40 and 22.3±6.3%. Seven rare alleles were lost from the G.brevipalpis colony during a 1‐year period, but no statistically significant changes were observed in the genetics of the colony during this period. Using allele frequency data for ten of the enzymes studied, and frequencies for these enzymes in other taxa, a phenogram was constructed that indicated that the subgenus Austenina (i.e. the fusca group) is the oldest of the three subgenera within the genus Glossina, and that the subgenus Glossina s.str. (i.e. the morsitans group) may be paraphyletic.
A model for estimating abundance of cattle grub (Diptera: Oestridae) from the proportion of uninfested cattle as determined by serology*
Authors: LYSYK T. J. , COLWELL D. D. , BARON R. W.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. A model is presented for determining the abundance of cattle grubs in the backs of calves from the proportion of uninfested calves in a herd. The distribution of grubs in calves' backs was compared with the negative binomial, but no relationships were found among the distribution parameters, suggesting that the negative binomial is an inappropriate choice for the basis of a sampling model. The relationship between the mean number of grubs per animal (¯), variance (δ2), and proportion of uninfested calves (p0) in a herd was determined and used as the basis for the sampling model. The relationship between p0 and p0e [determined using serology (ELISA)] was evaluated. The variance of estimates of mean grubs per animal based on the regression model and uncertainty due to using p0e as an estimate of p0 was examined. A test of the model indicated that P0e could be used to obtain a reliable estimate of mean grubs per animal and that the method would be applicable for monitoring grub populations, assessing chemical control programmes, and determining release rates of sterile insects for control.
Oviposition habits of a univoltine blackfly, Prosimulium kiotoense (Diptera: Simuliidae), in Kyushu, Japan
Authors: BABA MINORU , TAKAOKA HIROYUKI
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Oviposition habits of a univoltine mammalophilic blackfly, Prosimulium kiotoense Shiraki, were investigated at a stream in Kyushu Island, Japan. The flies oviposited on bryophyte mosses growing on river bank rock surfaces. The eggs were laid singly, but large irregular egg masses were often formed because many females oviposited within the same small areas. Wet sites with dense bryophyte cover at heights between 0 and 15 cm above water level were selected for oviposition. Oviposition activity was observed in the latter half of April. P. kiotoense females came to the site to lay eggs after 11.00 hours in the morning, when air temperature rose to about 15oC. Peak ovipositional activity occurred between 12.00 and 14.00 hours.
Residual activity of microencapsulated permethrin against stable flies on lactating dairy cows
Authors: MEYER JEFFERY A. , HUNTER JAMES S.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Emulsifiable concentrate and microencapsulated formulations of permethrin were evaluated for residual activity against stable flies on lactating dairy cows. Cows were treated in the field with each formulation and hair was clipped from the leg and shoulder area, and bioassayed at 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 14 days after treatment. Significantly more stable flies died when exposed to hair sampled 3, 4 and 7 days after treatment from the shoulder than from the lower leg. Analysis with gas chromatography of hair samples showed no detectable permethrin residues on shoulder or leg hair 72 h after treatment with the emulsifiable concentrate formulation. Microencapsulated permethrin was still detectable on hair sampled from both locations 7 days after treatment. The permethrin concentration on the leg hair was approximately 50% of the shoulder hair concentration after 3 days, with the leg hair residue dropping to 31% of shoulder level after 7 days.
Indicators of sexual maturation and regression in the female cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis
Authors: WILLIAMS BERNICE
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Differences in the salivary glands, mesenteron epithelium and reproductive organs of female cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis Bouche (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), are related to the degree of reproductive maturation or regression. Contrary to previous ideas, blue bodies in the ovarioles are degenerate oocyte nuclei and their presence denotes failure of ripening oocytes to reach full maturity. A distinction between true corpora lutea and pseudo‐corpora lutea is established, the presence of the former indicates successful oviposition, and of the latter, failure to complete maturation of eggs. Accurate indicators of sexual maturation and reproductive success are of potential value in assessing relative suitability of various hosts for a given flea species and therefore in assessing the degree of host specificity among fleas.
Sandfly distribution and abundance in a tropical rain forest
Authors: MEMMOTT JANE
Published: March 2008

Abstract.

The distribution patterns of sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) upon tree buttresses were studied in tropical rain forest at Finca la Selva in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica.

Four species of sandfly, Lutzomyia shannoni Dyar, L.trapidoi F. & H., L.ylephiletor F. & H. and L.vespertilionis F. & H. comprising 97% of those caught, used tree buttresses as diurnal resting sites. Their distribution on the buttresses was aggregated.

During the dry season tree species had no significant effect upon the distribution of the sandflies. However, during the wet season the distributions of two of the species, L.trapidoi and L.ylephiletor, were significantly affected by the species of tree; it is suggested that some species of tree may provide greater protection from rainfall than others.

L. vespertilionis was restricted to a single buttress on each positive tree. Distribution of this species is evidently determined by the distribution of its host animal, the bat (Emballonuridae). Female flies feed upon the bat's blood and male flies may be attracted to the bat as it provides a source of female sandflies. It is suggested, therefore, that tree buttresses serve as sandfly swarming sites.

Within a large buttress the sandflies are not randomly distributed but are aggregated in particular areas. Within these aggregations, the sandflies are vertically zoned upon the buttress with a shift in species composition with height. Two hypothesis were suggested to account for this distribution pattern: a response to an environmental gradient or an interaction between the four species of fly.
Effect of N‐acetyl‐D‐glucosamine on the migration of Brugia pahangi microfilariae into the haemocoel of Aedes aegypti
Authors: HAM P. J. , PHIRI J. S. , NOLAN G. P.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Two strains of Aedes aegypti (L.), differing in their susceptibility to Brugia pahangi (Buckley & Edeson), were examined with regard to the effect on the proportion of microfilariae migrating from the mid‐gut, of specific carbohydrate supplements in the infecting bloodmeal. N‐Acetyl‐D‐glucosamine (GlcNAc), a sugar also present on the microfilarial sheath, significantly increased the migration rate. This enhancement is greater for the refractory strain of Ae.aegypti. The use of sucrose as a control sugar results in no enhancement of microfilariae migration. It is postulated that the GlcNAc is acting by blocking endogenous gut/peri trophic membrane carbohydrate binding proteins, which would normally inhibit microfilariae migration. Furthermore, there is a significant correlation whereby increasing loads of microfilariae ingested result in decreasing proportions migrating across the mid‐gu.
Population genetic evidence for species A, B, C and D of the Anopheles dirus complex in Thailand and enzyme electromorphs for their identification
Authors: GREEN CHRISTOPHER A. , MUNSTERMANN LEONARD E. , TAN S. G. , PANYIM SAKOL , BAIMAI VISUT
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Mixtures of chromosomal forms A, B, C and D in natural populations of Anopheles dirus Peyton & Harrison sensu lato in Thailand show significant positive values of Wright's fixation index for six enzyme‐electromorph loci. The mean value of FIS over all loci was found to be +0.28 (SD 0.02), with a range of +0.57 (Odh) to +0.10 (Idh‐2). Partitioning electromorph data for the chromosomal forms reduces the mean FIS to 0.03 (SD 0.01), which suggests that positive assortative mating is a characteristic of each form. This supports the hypothesis that the chromosomal/electrophoretic forms A, B, C and D represent four distinct biological species within the An.dirus complex.

An example is given of the use of enzyme electromorphs as a means of vector identification during a malaria entomological field study involving a mixture of An.dirus species A and D. Electromorph identifications of 323 sp. A and 161 sp. D were more than 98% correct when cross‐referenced to specific DNA probes.
Isozyme variability and differentiation between Rhodnius prolixus, R.robustus and R.pictipes, vectors of Chagas disease in Venezuela
Authors: HARRY M. , GALINDEZ I. , CARIOU M. L.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Enzyme polymorphism in triatomine bugs of the genus Rhodnius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), vectors of Chagas disease, is analysed using both starch and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Out of forty‐five enzymes assayed, the electromorphs of seventeen of them: AO, CA, DIA, ES, ES‐A, FH, GPD, G6PD, GPI, MDH, ME, 6PGD, PGM, ACON, ACPH, LAP and SOD, involving twenty‐two putative structural loci, were scorable. These gene‐enzyme systems were therefore selected for routine characterization of R.prolixus Stal adults from different strains. The first thirteen enzymes, involving sixteen structural loci, were also analysed in first instar nymphs of the three species, R.prolixus, R.robustus Larrousse and R.pictipes Stal. Allelic frequencies were calculated for three R.prolixus strains: three to five loci appeared to be polymorphic. The proportion of polymorphic loci (22%) and the average hetero‐zygosity (0.06) indicated low genetic variability, with significant differences between the strains at individual loci. Rhodnius prolixus and R.robustus were found to have identical isozymic patterns. R.pictipes was genetically well differentiated, with twelve diagnostic loci.
Comparative activity of three repellents against the ticks Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Argas persicus
Authors: KUMAR SANTOSH , PRAKASH SHRI , KAUSHIK M. P. , RAO K. M.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The residual repellent activity of N, N‐diethylphenyl‐acetamide (DEPA), N, N‐diethyl‐3–methyl benzamide (DEET) and dimethylphthalate (DMP) against the hard tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) and the soft tick Argus persicus (Oken) from topical application on rabbits and hens respectively in the laboratory have been studied. It was found that a 25% concentration of DEET gave strong repellency (>90%) against larvae and nymphs of R. sanguineus for 15 and 7 days respectively and against A.persicus larvae and nymphs >90% for 11 and 5 days respectively. Strong repellency (>90%) against adults of the hard and soft ticks was observed for 9 and 7 days respectively with 40% DEET. DEPA at 25% concentration showed strong repellency (>90%) against larvae and nymphs of R.sanguineus and A.persicus for 11 and 5 days respectively. Adults of hard and soft ticks were strongly repelled (>90%) for 9 and 5 days respectively by 40% DEPA. DMP was found to be the least effective against all stages of both species of tick.
Determinants of the domiciliary density of Triatoma infestans, vector of Chagas disease
Authors: GÜRTLER RICARDO E. , CECERE MARIA C. , RUBEL DIANA N. , SCHWEIGMANN NICOLAS J.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. In two heavily infested rural villages of Santiago del Estero, Argentina, where no indoor‐spraying with residual insecticides had ever been carried out by official control services, we studied the influence of roof and wall structure, domestic use of insecticide, family size and the number of domestic dogs, on the domiciliary density of Triatoma infestans (Klug). Bug density was significantly associated with (1) the interaction between insecticide use and type of roof, (2) the structure of indoor walls, (3) the number of dogs sharing sleeping areas of people (room‐mate dogs), and (4) the number of people plus room‐mate dogs, but not with just the number of people resident in the house.

The interaction between insecticide use and a roof made of ‘simbol’, a locally available grass (Pennisetum sp.), also reflected a younger age structure of domestic bug populations. In infested houses, the density of bugs infected with Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas was significantly correlated with overall bug density. Our data suggest that the application of environmental management measures by the affected people, such as plastering of walls and modification of roofs, coupled with keeping dogs away from bedrooms and application of insecticides, should limit the domestic population density of T.infestans and thus reduce the transmission of T.cruzi to people.
Responses of female New World screwworm flies, Cochliomyia hominivorax, to coloured targets in the laboratory
Authors: GREEN C. H. , WARNES M. L.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The responses of unmated female New World screwworm flies, Cochliomyia hominivorax Coquerel, to visual targets were studied in a wind‐tunnel. Both activity and frequency of contacts with targets increased greatly when the screwworm attractant mixture swormlure‐4 was added to the airstream. Target‐orientated responses depended on target colour, with red and black targets being preferred over blue, white and yellow ones; this preference was much greater in the presence of odour than in its absence. No preference was detected for different shapes and orientations of red targets, all of equivalent surface area. Omitting different components from swormlure‐4 generally resulted in a large reduction in activation and target contacts. Attempts to substitute 1‐octen‐3‐ol for the butanol fraction were unsuccessful, but skatole may substitute to some extent for indole; the two isomers of butanol normally present in swormlure‐4 may substitute partly or completely for each other. This type of measurement forms a suitable bioassay in the development of attractive targets for monitoring and control of wild adult screwworm populations.
Effect of puparia incubation temperature: increased infection rates of Trypanosoma congolense in Glossina morsitans centralis, G.fuscipes fuscipes and G.brevipalpis
Authors: NDEGWA PAUL N. , IRUNGU LUCY W. , MOLOO SHAMSHUDEEN K.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Puparia of Glossina morsitans centralis (Machado), G.fuscipes fuscipes (Newstead) and G.brevipalpis (Newstead) were incubated at 25 ± 1°C, 28±1:25±1°C, day:night or 29±1°C throughout the puparial period, and maintained at 70–80% relative humidity. Puparial mortality was higher at 29 than at 25°C (optimum temperature) in all three species, particularly in G.f.fuscipes and G.brevipalpis. Adults of G’.m.centralis from puparia incubated at 29°C, and those of this subspecies, G.f.fuscipes and G.brevipalpis from puparia incubated at 28:25°C, day:night or 25°C throughout, were infected as tenerals (27 h old) by feeding them at the same time on goats infected with Trypanosoma congolense (Broden) IL 1180 after the parasites were detected in the wet blood film. Infection rates on day 25 post‐infected feed were higher in G.m. centralis from puparia incubated at 29°C and in adults of the three different tsetse species from puparia incubated at 28:25°C, day:night, than in those from puparia incubated at 25°C. However, in G.f.fuscipes the labral and hypo‐pharyngeal infection rates were not significantly different from those of the tsetse produced by puparia kept at 25°C.
Ootaxonomy and eggshell ultrastructure of Phlebotomus sandflies
Authors: FAUSTO A. M. , MAROLI M. , MAZZINI M.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The eggshell structure of four sandfly species: Phlebotomus perniciosus Newstead, P.perfiliewi Parrot, P.papatasi Scopoli and P.duboscqi Neveu‐Lemaire, was examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). At the TEM level, the eggshell appears to have a homogeneous vitelline envelope and a thick chorion. At SEM level, the eggshell of all species is characterized by the outer chorion forming a series of fifteen to twenty longitudinal sinuous ridges, cross‐linked in places to form a pattern of polygons, each line of the chorion consisting of columns arranged in a palisade. The aeropyle region of the egg is decribed for the first time in phlebotomine sandflies. Specific characters of the eggshell topography are described for distinguishing between these and other species of Phlebotomus.
Tick infection rates with Borrelia Ixodes ricinus versus Haemaphysalis concinna and Dermacentor reticulatus in two locations in eastern Germany
Authors: KAHL OLAF , JANETZKI CLAUDIA , GRAY JEREMY S. , STEIN JÜRGEN , BAUCH ROLF J.
Published: March 2008

Unfed nymphal Ixodes ricinus, Haemaphysalis concinna, and adult Dermacentor reticulatus were collected in two locations of Saxony in July and September 1991 by flagging. In July, the abundance of nymphal I. ricinus was about 2–3 times higher than that of nymphal H.concinna, a time of the year when nymphs of both species are reported to have a seasonal peak of activity. No D.reticulatus were flagged concurrently. In September, host‐seeking activity of nymphal I.ricinus was again quite high as was that of adult D.reticulatus but only low numbers of nymphal H.concinna were collected. The flagged ticks were individually examined for Borrelia by an indirect immunofluorescence assay {I.ricinus: n = 414; H.concinna: n = 96; D.reticulatus: n= 116). The prevalence of Borrelia (probably B.burgdorferi) in I.ricinus varied from 12.1% to 21.0%. No borreliae were found in H. concinna. Of the examined D. reticulatus from one site (n= 97) 11.3% contained either B. burgdorferi or a related Borrelia. This may be the first finding of Borrelia in an Eurasian Dermacentor species.
DNA probes for the identification of members of the Simulium damnosum complex (Diptera: Simuliidae)
Authors: POST R. J. , FLOOK P.
Published: March 2008

Genomic libraries in plasmid have been constructed from various sibling species of blackflies of the Simulium damnosum complex from West Africa. Three cloned repetitive sequences, which show variation in copy number between sibling species, have been isolated. These clones can be used as probes for the dot‐blot identification of larvae, pupae or adults into the three main West African subcomplexes, i.e. damnosum, squamosum and sanctipauli subcom‐plexes. The sequences also show some intraspecific variation in copy number.
Identification of phlebotomine sandfly bloodmeals from Baringo district, Kenya, by direct enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
Authors: NGUMBI PHILIP M. , LAWYER PHILLIP G. , JOHNSON RICHARD N. , KIILU GABRIEL , ASIAGO CHARLES
Published: March 2008

Direct enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to identify the sources of bloodmeals in phlebotomine sandflies from Baringo District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya. Some bloodmeals had been stored for over 4 years before being analysed. Among 356 sandflies identified, 62.9% were Phlebotomus martini, 14.8%Sergentomyia antennatus, 10%S.schwetzi, 6%S.clydei, 1.9%S.adleri, 1.6%P.duboscqi, 1.4%S.africanus and 0.8%S.bedfordi. Out of 224 P.martini bloodmeals, host source was identified for 69. The order of host preference for P.martini was: goat 28.5%, rabbit 22.7%, human 8.9% and others 8.9%. Evidence of mixed feeding was shown by four species comprising sixteen specimens, twelve of which were P.martini. The most effective methods for trapping bloodfed P.martini were sticky paper traps in termite hills, followed by light‐traps. Of the 224 P.martini trapped, 58.9% were collected with traps in termite hills, and 22.7% with light traps. Roles of the three most popular hosts for P.martini should be investigated to ascertain whether they act as reservoirs in the transmission of Leishmania donovani causing visceral leishmaniasis in Kenya.
Lessons of Aedes aegypti control in Thailand
Authors: GRATZ NORMAN G.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The incidence of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) in Thailand has increased cyclically since the first recognized outbreak in 1958. Without an effective vaccine against dengue, and considering the clinical difficulty of treating DHF cases, vector control is needed to prevent dengue transmission. Since the establishment of the WHO Aedes Research Unit in 1964, continued since 1973 as the WHO Collaborating Centre at the Department of Medical Research in Bangkok, much operational research has been carried out in Thailand on the bionomics and control of dengue vectors: Aedes aegypti and Ae.albopictus. This review shows that, as in most other countries, dengue vector control programmes in Thailand make little use of the procedures arising from research, nor have they reduced the upward trend of dengue or prevented DHF outbreaks. Implications of the reluctance to use results of operational research on vector control are considered and remedial suggestions made.
Blood‐feeding of the gerbil flea Nosopsyllus laeviceps kuzenkovi (Yagubyants), vector of plague in Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: JUN LIU , SHANG‐JUN LI , AMIN OMAR M. , YUMEI ZHANG
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The gerbil flea Nosopsyllus laeviceps (Wagner) (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae) is an important Palaearctic vector of enzootic plague among sylvan and campestral rodents. Laboratory blood‐feeding experiments with the subspecies N.l.kuzenkovi (Yagubynts) from Inner Mongolia, China, using three rodent species including the natural host Meriones unguiculatus (Milne‐Edwards), demonstrated a positive relationship between per cent feeding and time allowed for feeding, particularly for female fleas. Also the bloodmeal size was proportional to sucking time and was significantly greater in females, which are larger, than in males. However, on all four strains of host tested, there was no significant correlation between the feeding success rate of the fleas and the amount of blood they imbibed. Fleas fed better on active compared to confined M.unguiculatus. These findings agree with studies of other flea species.
Fecundity of Anopheles tessellatus reduced by the ingestion of murine anti‐mosquito antibodies
Authors: SRIKRISHNARAJ K. A. , RAMASAMY R. , RAMASAMY M. S.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. High titres of antibodies to antigens derived from head/thorax, midgut or abdomen of Anopheles tessellatus were produced in inbred mice. These antibodies, when ingested in a bloodmeal, reduced the fecundity of An.tessellatus by up to 29% in different experiments. It is postulated that antibodies directed against antigens shared between the head/thorax, abdomen and midgut tissues are involved in the reduction of fecundity.
Blood‐feeding host preferences of the isomorphic species Simulium venustum and S.truncatum
Authors: HUNTER FIONA F. , SUTCLIFFE J. F. , DOWNE A. E. R.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Animal‐baited traps, using fox, mink, rabbits and ducks, were used in host preference experiments in two habitats (Beach and Woods). A generalized linear model of blood‐feeding host preference is presented to test for significant differences between the isomorphic species Simulium venustum and Simulium truncatum. The S.truncatum population peaked before that of S.venustum. On any given day the two species divided their blood‐feeding efforts among the different hosts in the same proportions. On the Beach, fox was the preferred host at the beginning of the season, but by the end of the season flies fed with equal frequency on the fox and the mink. In the Woods fox remained the preferred host throughout the season (late May to early July). Possible reasons for these feeding trends are discussed.
Effects of two blood‐feeding regimes on mortality and female reproduction in a laboratory colony of stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans
Authors: SUTCLIFFE JAMES F. , D'CAMBRE C. , DOWNE A. E. R.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans L.) deprived of a bloodmeal until 3 days post‐emergence had higher mortality rates than control flies fed from the day of emergence. Fat bodies of deprived females required one more bloodmeal to reach maximum size, and maximum size was smaller, than fat bodies of control females. Ovarian development did not commence prior to feeding in deprived flies, and proceeded more slowly thereafter, resulting in a one bloodmeal delay in egg maturation in deprived flies. Deprived females produced fewer (54.7, SD 2.8) eggs than controls (75.9, SD 3.7) and eggs from deprived females were smaller (mean length 684.0 μrn) than control females' eggs (mean length 1165.7 μm).
Lice of farm animals in Libya
Authors: GABAJ M. M. , BEESLEY W. N. , AWAN M. A. Q.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. This first report on the lice of farm animals in Libya lists a total of fifteen species, as follows: Haematopinus quadripertusus and Linognathus vituli from cattle, Bovicola ovis, Linognathus pedalis, L.afrlcanus and L.ovillus from sheep, L.stenopsis, L.africanus and Bovicola caprae from goats. Poultry harboured Lipeurus caponis, L.heterographus, Menacanthus stramineus, Menopon gallinae, Goniocotes gallinae, Goniodes gigas and G.dissimilis.
A trial to control the tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans centralis, with low densities of odour‐baited targets in west Zambia
Authors: KNOLS BART G. J. , WILLEMSE LUC , FLINT STANLEY , MATE ALBERT
Published: March 2008

Abstract. A large‐scale trial investigated the possibility of eradicating G.m.centralis from a traditional cattle rearing area using odour‐baited targets at a reduced overall target density from 4 to 0.5‐2.3 per km2, thus cutting down initial material costs by about 50%. Only the periphery of what was thought to be prime tsetse habitat (dense woodland) was treated with targets. These were all black or blue/black cloth (1.8 × 1m), sprayed with deltamethrin suspension concentrate and baited with butanone and/or acetone (40‐130mg/h) and l‐octen‐3‐ol (0.5mg/h). Although fly catches from traps and flyrounds initially dropped by approximately 3% per day and trypanosomiasis cases declined by 99% within a year, eradication was not achieved, so that more targets were deployed at a later stage. Although initially cheaper, the option of using reduced target densities proved financially unattractive because of prolonged periods of target maintenance prior to eradication. Revised strategies for tsetse control with odour‐baited, insecticide‐impregnated targets in west Zambia are presented.