Catches of Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood and G. pallidipes Austen (Diptera: Glossinidae) in odour-baited traps in riverine and deciduous woodlands in the Zambesi Valley of Zimbabwe

Abstract

AbstractCatches of Glossina morsitans morsitans Westw. and G. pallidipes Aust. were made on electric nets baited with the odour of one ox, in deciduous and riverine woodland in the Zambesi Valley of Zimbabwe. Catches of teneral and mature flies of both sexes and species declined sharply during the hot dry season (September to November) in the deciduous woodland. In the riverine woodland, catches of mature G. m. morsitans increased during this period; catches of mature G. pallidipes rose rapidly to a high level in June (early in the cool dry season), which was maintained for most of the dry season. Catches of teneral flies in the riverine woodland were fairly constant from June to September (the cool dry season and start of the hot dry season) and then declined, though not as sharply as in the deciduous woodland. The percentage of tenerals in the catch showed a minimum at the end of the hot dry season (October–November); at that time there was also a dramatic rise in the female: male ratio in the deciduous woodland, but no such change occurred in the riverine area.