title: Life-history parameters of Culicoides (Avaritia) imicola Kieffer in the laboratory at different rearing temperatures.
abstract: This laboratory study investigates the sub-adult developmental cycle of field collected Culicoides (Avaritia) imicola Kieffer (Diptera; Ceratopogonidae). The period required from blood-feeding field-collected females to the production of progeny adults occupied 34-56 days at 20 degrees C, 15-21 days at 25 degrees C and 11-16 days at 28 degrees C, demonstrating clear temperature dependence. When reared at 28 degrees C, C. imicola demonstrated higher variability in fecundity (between 2.4 and 20.6 eggs/female) and lower hatching rates (50.0-62.2%), although larval survival rates to pupation were low at all temperatures (20-30%). Similarly, the mean emergence rate from pupae was the highest at lower temperatures. These results highlight the difficulty in establishing and maintaining a laboratory colony of this species from field-collected material and results are discussed in reference to future research directions that may aid this process.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Animal Health, Division of Epidemiology, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, GU24 ONF, UK. eva.veronesi@bbsrc.ac.uk
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Veronesi
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Venter
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Labuschagne
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Mellor
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carpenter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002519:Ceratopogonidae / Q000502:physiology*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D012621:Seasons; D013696:Temperature