Trapping oestrid parasites of reindeer: the response of Cephenemyia trompeand Hypoderma tarandi tobaited traps

• Published in: Medical and Veterinary Entomology
• Main Authors: ANDERSON, JOHN R., NILSSEN, ARNE C.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1996
• Subjects: Arctic; Norway; Tundra
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.1996.tb00754.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-2915.1996.tb00754.x; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2915.1996.tb00754.x/fullpdf

Abstract. At 340–360 km North of the Arctic Circle in Norway, Hypoderma tarandi (L.) and Cephenemyia trompe (Modeer) females were caught in baited traps from 10 July to 21 August. During three summers, adverse climatic conditions inhibited flight activity of these oestrids on 56–68% of the days. Flies were not caught prior to or after these dates, nor at winds above 8 m/s, temperatures below 10d̀C, light intensities below 20,000 lux, or during periods of rain or snow. C0 2 ‐baited insect flight traps caught significantly more H. tarandi females than non‐baited traps. However, neither a white reindeer hide or reindeer interdigital pheromone glands enhanced the attraction of C0 2 to H. tarandi or C. trompe. Hypoderma tarandi females also were attracted to mobile people, but not to stationary individuals. There were no significant differences in the numbers of C.trompe or H.tarandi caught in C0 2 ‐baited traps in a birch/willow woods, on the treeless vidda (=tundra‐like biome), or at woodsrvidda ecotone sites. Flies were caught in traps on days when the nearest reindeer herds were 25–100 km away. Significantly more H.tarandi and C.trompe were caught from 09.30 to 14.30 hours than from 14.30 to 19.30 hours; no flies were caught from 20.00 to 07.00 hours (Norwegian Standard Time = NST). Because CO z ‐baited traps caught from hundreds to thousands of mosquitoes, blackflies and Culicoides midges, when climatic conditions inhibited oestrid activity, reindeer aggregations and movements attributed to insect attacks during warm sunny days may be largely in response to attacks by H.tarandi and C.trompe.