The timing of adult eclosion in blackflies (Dipt., Simuliidae) in West Cameroon

Abstract

A description is given of an artificial stream for studying pupation times and pupal periods of Simulium spp., of emergence traps for studying emergence times in rivers, and of a convenient arrangement for rearing batches of pupae in the laboratory.S. damnosum Theo., S. kenyae De Meillon and S. unicornutum Pomeroy pupate mainly by day, each species having a characteristic period of peak pupation.In S. damnosum and S. kenyae the time of pupation influences the pupal period, and for these and other species the pupal period is prolonged by lower temperatures. The pupal period is partly independent of these influences in so far as emergence by night is normally avoided.The timing of adult eclosion is influenced by the temperature on the day of eclosion. On warm days (midday temperature of the river 24·1–28°C) S. damnosum and other forest zone species show a peak of emergence between 06.00 and 09.00 h, while on cool days (midday temperature of the river 20·1–24°C) the peak is delayed until 09.00 to 12.00 h. On artificially cold days (refrigerator temperature 16–20°C), the peak is shifted to the late afternoon.The study of the timing of adult eclosion from pupae brought into the laboratory is complicated by the fact that the normal pattern of emergence is liable to disturbance.In the laboratory a seasonal fluctuation in the sex ratio of emerging flies occurred in S. damnosum.