ENTOMOPHTHORA CULICIS (PHYCOMYCETES: ENTOMOPHTHORALES) PARASITIZING BLACK FLY ADULTS (DIPTERA: SIMULIIDAE) IN ALBERTA

1978 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Shemanchuk ◽  
Richard A. Humber
Keyword(s):  
First Record ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Simulium Vittatum

AbstractEntomophthora culicis (Braun) Fresenius was found parasitizing adults of Simulium venustum Say and Simulium vittatum Zett. in central Alberta. The first parasitized black fly adults were collected on 17 August 1973 from a moist log on the margin of Flat Creek (113°52′ W. long., 54°41′ N. lat.). In subsequent summers, parasitized black flies were found on various substrates at sites on three other creeks in the area. Parasitized black flies first appeared in late June and were present to mid-September with peak numbers occurring during August. The fungus kills young black fly adults. This is the first record of E. culicis on black flies in Canada.

ECOLOGY OF BLACK FLIES (DIPTERA: SIMULIIDAE) OF THE SOURIS RIVER, MANITOBA AS A BASIS FOR CONTROL STRATEGY

1981 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Westwood ◽  
R. A. Brust
Keyword(s):  
Control Program ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Simulium Vittatum ◽  
Late Instar ◽  
Simulium Decorum ◽  
Fly Control ◽  
Wire Cage

AbstractTen species of black flies were collected from the Souris River, Manitoba between April 1977 and October 1978. Adults of Simulium luggeri Nicholson and Mickel, Simulium meridionale Riley, Simulium venustum Say, Simulium verecundum Stone and Jamnback, and Simulium johannseni johannseni (Hart) were collected feeding on livestock and humans, and are well known pest species. Simulium vittatum Zetterstedt was the most abundant species, but was not a pest on man or domestic animals. Simulium tuberosum (Lundström) and Simulium johannseni duplex Shewell and Fredeen were the least abundant species. Simulium j. johannseni, S. j. duplex, S. venustum, S. verecundum, S. tuberosum, and Cnephia dacotensis (Dyar and Shannon) appeared to be univoltine species while S. luggeri, S. meridionale, Simulium decorum Walker, and S. vittatum were multivoltine in the Souris River.An evaluation of cone, plate, rope, and wire cage sampling devices for black fly larvae and pupae indicated that cone samplers provided a more representative sample for population assessment.In a black fly control program, of the Souris River, Manitoba two separate larvicide treatments in spring may be necessary. In the case of two treatments, the first should be aimed at late instar larvae of S. j. johannseni, S. venustum, and S. verecundum. Since the majority of S. luggeri and S. meridionale would be in the egg stage at this time, a second treatment, 10–14 days later, would be necessary to control late instar larvae of these species.

Factors influencing dispersion of larval black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae): effects of the presence of an invertebrate predator

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 1120-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan J. H. Ciborowski ◽  
Douglas A. Craig
Keyword(s):  
Ceramic Tile ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Simulium Vittatum ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Invertebrate Predator ◽  
Significant Difference

Laboratory experiments were conducted to study aggregative responses of larvae of Simulium vittatum Zetterstedt on a ceramic tile to activity of a predatory perlid stonefly, Claassenia sabulosa (Banks). Nearest-neighbor analysis indicated that larvae became aggregated regardless of whether a predator was present. There was no significant difference in either number of larvae remaining on the tile or degree of black fly aggregation between trials that lacked a predator and those in which a stonefly could travel over the tile. Direct contact between predator and prey caused single simuliid larvae to release from the substrate, but daytime black fly behaviour was otherwise unaffected by stonefly activity.

scholarly journals Pathogenesis of Vesicular Stomatitis New Jersey Virus Infection in Deer Mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) Transmitted by Black Flies (Simulium vittatum)

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. P. Mesquita ◽  
M. H. Diaz ◽  
E. W. Howerth ◽  
D. E. Stallknecht ◽  
R. Noblet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Jersey ◽  
Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Simulium Vittatum ◽  
Potential Reservoir ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Sensory Pathway ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis

The natural transmission of vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus (VSNJV), an arthropod-borne virus, is not completely understood. Rodents may have a role as reservoir or amplifying hosts. In this study, juvenile and nestling deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus) were exposed to VSNJV-infected black fly ( Simulium vittatum) bites followed by a second exposure to naive black flies on the nestling mice. Severe neurological signs were observed in some juvenile mice by 6 to 8 days postinoculation (DPI); viremia was not detected in 25 juvenile deer mice following exposure to VSNJV-infected fly bites. Both juvenile and nestling mice had lesions and viral antigen in the central nervous system (CNS); in juveniles, their distribution suggested that the sensory pathway was the most likely route to the CNS. In contrast, a hematogenous route was probably involved in nestling mice, since all of these mice developed viremia and had widespread antigen distribution in the CNS and other tissues on 2 DPI. VSNJV was recovered from naive flies that fed on viremic nestling mice. This is the first report of viremia in a potential natural host following infection with VSNJV via insect bite and conversely of an insect becoming infected with VSNJV by feeding on a viremic host. These results, along with histopathology and immunohistochemistry, show that nestling mice have widespread dissemination of VSNJV following VSNJV-infected black fly bite and are a potential reservoir or amplifying host for VSNJV.

scholarly journals Identification of Communal Oviposition Pheromones from the Black Fly Simulium vittatum

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. e0118904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommy W. McGaha ◽  
Ryan M. Young ◽  
Nathan D. Burkett-Cadena ◽  
Joseph P. Iburg ◽  
Jeremy M. Beau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Fly ◽  
Simulium Vittatum

Analyses of cDNA and recombinant protein for a potent vasoactive protein in saliva of a blood-feeding black fly, Simulium vittatum.

1998 ◽  
Vol 201 (10) ◽  
pp. 1553-1561 ◽  
Author(s):  
M S Cupp ◽  
J M Ribeiro ◽  
D E Champagne ◽  
E W Cupp
Keyword(s):  
Expression System ◽  
Blood Perfusion ◽  
Rabbit Aorta ◽  
Baculovirus Expression System ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Reversed Phase ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Simulium Vittatum ◽  
Biological Potency

A cDNA was cloned from the salivary glands of a blood-feeding black fly Simulium vittatum. The encoded protein has been given the name Simulium vittatum erythema protein or SVEP, because of its ability to increase blood perfusion in skin capillaries, resulting in the well-characterized erythema of black fly bites. The full-length cDNA contains 548 base pairs which encode 152 amino acid residues of the nascent protein. Post-translational processing produces a mature, secreted protein of 133 residues with a molecular mass of 15.4 kDa. Recombinant SVEP (rSVEP) was produced in a baculovirus expression system and purified by a one-step reversed-phase HPLC procedure. Analyses of physical properties and biological potency demonstrated fidelity of rSVEP to the native protein. Recombinant SVEP relaxed rabbit aorta preparations when preconstricted with 2 micromol l-1 phenylephrine or 25 mmol l-1 K+ but not with 60 mmol l-1 K+. Further, the rSVEP-induced relaxation response of phenylephrine-constricted aorta was inhibited by glibenclamide (10 micromol l-1), suggesting that at least part of its action to relax smooth muscle may result from the opening of ATP-dependent K+ channels. SVEP is a novel salivary-gland-derived vasoactive protein that may be essential for blood feeding by black flies and could potentially enhance transmission of filarial parasites.

Mitochondrial DNA polymorphism in a black fly, Simulium vittatum (Diptera: Simuliidae)

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 440-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
X Zhu ◽  
K P Pruess ◽  
T O Powers
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Rflp Analysis ◽  
Mitochondrial Haplotype ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna Polymorphism ◽  
Simulium Vittatum ◽  
Hybridization Probes ◽  
Restriction Sites ◽  
Mitochondrial Heterogeneity

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was extracted from pooled field-collected samples representing six species of black flies (Cnephia dacotensis, Simulium bivittaum, S. johansenni, S. luggeri, S. piperi, S. vittatum) and compared by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Morphospecies were molecularly distinct, with few shared restriction fragments. Eleven populations of S. vittatum were found that appeared to be homogeneous for a single mitochondrial haplotype. Ten other populations of S. vittatum showed extensive mitochondrial heterogeneity. In part, these samples contained mixtures of two cytologically recognized siblings: IIIL-1 and IS-7. About 70% of the mitochondrial genome of a population pure for sibling IIIL-1 was cloned as five HindIII fragments, which were used as hybridization probes to examine individual black flies. Thirteen mtDNA haplotypes involving permutations of 10 HindIII restriction sites were identified in individual black flies examined from 26 populations. DNA from 168 larvae cut with both EcoR1 and HindIII revealed five additional haplotypes. One HindIII haplotype was present in 84% of 390 larvae examined and predominated in every population examined from New York to California and in both the IIIL-1 and IS-7 siblings. Nebraska populations had individuals with nearly all known haplotypes. The most common haplotype was usually the only form present in warm, silty streams with organic enrichment. Rarer haplotypes were found in cool, spring-fed streams but without clear geographic or phylogenetic components.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Partially Submerged Sticky Traps On Lake Spillways For Adult Black Fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) Surveillance and Arbovirus Detection

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 306-310
Author(s):  
Michael C. Cavallaro ◽  
Eric Risley ◽  
Paige Lockburner
Keyword(s):  
Adult Female ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Culex Mosquito ◽  
Sticky Traps ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Equine Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Simulium Decorum ◽  
Average Standard Error

ABSTRACT Sentinel surveillance systems demonstrate an improved ability to supplement monitoring data and anticipate arbovirus outbreaks (i.e., sentinel avian species). Management complications can arise during unpredictable or unseasonal disease detections, especially in rural areas where resident distribution is patchy. Using spillways near residential lake communities as static surveillance locations, we tested a novel partially submerged sticky trapping technique and screened wild populations of adult female black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) for West Nile virus (WNV) and eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV). Trap site selection criteria considered the density of immature black fly colonization on spillway surfaces and the number of positive detections of arboviral targets in nearby Culex mosquito populations. On average (±standard error), sticky traps captured 134 (±33) adult black flies over a 24-h period, with 1 trap capturing as many as 735 individuals. Although we detected positive cases of WNV from 20 Culex mosquito trapping sites within 16 km (approx. flight radius) of the selected lake spillways, mixed pools of adult female Simulium vittatum complex and Simulium decorum were all negative for both arboviruses. This study yielded an application for partially submerged sticky traps to collect adult female black flies. Its potential uses for monitoring the infection rates of more well-documented Simulium parasites are discussed.

scholarly journals Surveillance along the Rio Grande during the 2020 Vesicular Stomatitis Outbreak Reveals Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of and Viral RNA Detection in Black Flies

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1264
Author(s):  
Katherine I. Young ◽  
Federico Valdez ◽  
Christina Vaquera ◽  
Carlos Campos ◽  
Lawrence Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Rio Grande ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) emerges periodically from its focus of endemic transmission in southern Mexico to cause epizootics in livestock in the US. The ecology of VSV involves a diverse, but largely undefined, repertoire of potential reservoir hosts and invertebrate vectors. As part of a larger program to decipher VSV transmission, we conducted a study of the spatiotemporal dynamics of Simulium black flies, a known vector of VSV, along the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico, USA from March to December 2020. Serendipitously, the index case of VSV-Indiana (VSIV) in the USA in 2020 occurred at a central point of our study. Black flies appeared soon after the release of the Rio Grande’s water from an upstream dam in March 2020. Two-month and one-year lagged precipitation, maximum temperature, and vegetation greenness, measured as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), were associated with increased black fly abundance. We detected VSIV RNA in 11 pools comprising five black fly species using rRT-PCR; five pools yielded a VSIV sequence. To our knowledge, this is the first detection of VSV in the western US from vectors that were not collected on premises with infected domestic animals.

Host–Parasite Behavioral Interactions in a Recently Introduced, Whooping Crane Population

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 220-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard S. King ◽  
Patrick C. McKann ◽  
Brian R. Gray ◽  
Michael S. Putnam
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Whooping Crane ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Grus Canadensis ◽  
Sandhill Crane ◽  
Conservation History ◽  
Whooping Cranes ◽  
Sandhill Cranes

Abstract The whooping crane Grus americana has a long conservation history, but despite multiple attempts across North America, introduction success is lacking. Recently introduced, captively reared whooping cranes have had periods of poor reproductive performance in central Wisconsin that sometimes coincided with black fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) emergences. Sandhill crane Grus canadensis reproductive performance in central Wisconsin is approximately double that of whooping cranes. We used comfort behaviors as a measure of black fly harassment to infer whether behavioral differences existed between nesting sandhill cranes and nesting whooping cranes and between successful and unsuccessful whooping crane pairs. To further explore the interaction between black flies and incubating whooping cranes, we examined differences in behaviors between incubating birds and their off-nest mates. Compared to their off-nest mates, incubating whooping cranes exhibited elevated comfort behaviors, suggesting a bird at a nest may experience greater harassment from black flies. Sandhill cranes had elevated head-flicks over whooping cranes. Whooping cranes exhibited more head-rubs than sandhill cranes, and successful whooping crane pairs had elevated head-rubs over pairs that deserted their nests. Behavioral differences between sandhill cranes and whooping cranes as well as differences in reproductive performance, could be explained by exposure to local breeding conditions. Whereas sandhill cranes have nested in the area for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, whooping cranes were only recently introduced to the area. Behavioral differences between the species as well as those between successful and unsuccessful whooping crane pairs could also be explained by the effect of captive exposure, which could affect all whooping crane introductions.

scholarly journals Society Islands beach bum black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) 

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4311 (3) ◽  
pp. 373
Author(s):  
DOUGLAS A. CRAIG ◽  
NEAL L. EVENHUIS
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
Immature Stages ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Society Islands

Aspects of the body of work on the Central and Western Pacific black fly Simulium (Inseliellum) are briefly reviewed. Female adults collected from beaches in Tahiti and Raiatea are described as Simulium (Inseliellum) littopyga n. sp., Simulium (Inseliellum) littosocius n. sp. and Simulium (Inseliellum) littosodalis n. sp.. Immature stages of the three species are not associated. 

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