Establishment and quantitative measure of Stomoxys calcitrans (Linnaeus, 1758) colony production in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

Functional insect vector colonies are essential for the study of their biology, evolution, behavior as well as control strategies of these organisms that transmit pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. In addition to the establishment, improvement and adaptation of pre-established protocols in the maintenance of a colony is important, as it may result in higher production of insects. Stomoxys calcitrans or stable fly causes important economic losses in production of beef and milk, besides mechanically transmitting a great variety of pathogens to cattle. In order to generate flies under laboratory conditions, a colony of S. calcitrans was established at our laboratory considering local environment geographical characteristics. Adults collected in UFRRJ campus were kept in the laboratory and maintained with daily feeding on anticoagulant-containing bovine blood offered in disposable sanitary napkins. Immature forms were maintained on diets rich in organic matter. The colony temperature and relative humidity were daily monitored as well as the development of insects. The monthly measured biological parameters included the development of eggs into pupae, of pupae into F1 adults and the comparison of the number of flies collected in the field with the number of F1 flies emerged in the laboratory. The data presented here was obtained from March to November 2019. In that period, the average per month of flies collected in the field was 604.2, of generated eggs was 2694.3, of generated pupae was 349.5 and of generated F1 flies in the laboratory was 205.9. Fluctuations of abiotic and biological factors contributed to an uneven production of flies in the colony throughout the months. This is the first report with numerical quantification of S. calcitrans flies production in a laboratory in Brazil. Some methodologies used in the colony shall be reevaluated and modified with the goal of obtaining higher numbers of flies generated in the laboratory over time.

Keywords: Insect colony; Mechanical vectors; Stable fly.