Trophic status, oogenic stages, and insemination of resting populations of three Simulium species (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Chiapas, Mexico.
Of 176 black fly females collected resting at the edge of El Rosario River, 77% were caught in rocky shelters, whereas the others were captured on damp stretches of river bank. Simulium ochraceum predominated in the catches (74%), followed by Simulium metallicum (21%), and Simulium callidum (5%). Percentages of females without blood in their gut were 70, 85, and 67%, respectively. Of 55 S. ochraceum females that had recently oviposited (sacculate), 29 had the remains of a blood meal in the gut. Of 64 nulliparous females, 48 exhibited early oogenesis (Christopher's stage I-II) indicating recent emergence. At Las Golondrinas village, 36% (71) of 199 specimens were S. ochraceum, of these 85% had no blood in the midgut. Five females of S. ochraceum at this locality had red blood and 6 had black blood in their gut. Of 43 parous and 28 nulliparous females, 36 and 25 had ovaries at stages I-II, respectively. Most females of S. metallicum had no blood in their gut (92%). Nullipars were abundant (91) and stage N (24 h old) was observed in 66 of them.
Reyes-Villanueva
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Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Laboratorio de Entomología Médica, San Nicolás de los Garza, México.
Rodriguez-Perez
M A
MA
D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D008800:Mexico; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D010058:Oviposition / Q000502:physiology; D010298:Parity; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D012843:Simuliidae / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity