Estudo de imaturos de tabanidae (díptera) da Amazônia oriental.

Abstract

The family Tabanidae (Diptera) is represented by a group of flies commonly known as horseflies, which are distributed worldwide. The tabanids are important insects, because besides sucking blood from animals, including man, they are involved in the transmission of diseases. The knowledge about the immature forms of Neotropical species is small and few species have their larvae and pupae described. This project aims to study the immatures of Tabanidae from the Amazon, as well as to improve and develop techniques to raise the immatures in the laboratory, and also to organize a collection of last stage larvae of Amazonian Tabanidae species. The methodologies used are: 1- Collecting soil samples with roots and leaves in aquatic environments, to obtain larvae of Tabanidae. 2- Capturing adult females, after performing blood repasto in horses, to obtain future oviposition and consequent creation of immatures in the laboratory. The collection of already fed adult females is being developed, which are being kept in glassware installed in a nursery built in a secondary forest on the Research Campus of MPEG. To complete the females' food supply they are offered rodents and birds. A total of 185 females of four species have been raised in the laboratory, distributed as follows: Tabanus antarcticus (60), Tabanus piceiventris (35), Tabanus occidentalis (65), and Chrysops Sp. (25). Having recently succeeded in ovipositing 2 females of Tabanus occidentalis, the hatched larvae are being raised in flasks, which have previously sterilized sand as a substrate that is cleaned as often as necessary to prevent the proliferation of fungi and bacteria. The feeding of the larvae consists of shaved beef, worms, and Drosophila larvae. The main results obtained are: the adjustment of the technique for keeping adult females in the laboratory in order to oviposit; the attainment of two Tabanus occidentalis females spawning; and the beginning of the rearing of the 10S larval instars.