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EVIDENCE OF HONEYDEW FEEDING IN BLACK FLIES (DEPTERA: SIMULIIDAE)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Steven G. Burgin  and
Fiona F. Hunter
Steven G. Burgin
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 3A1
Fiona F. Hunter*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 3A1
*
1Author to whom all correspondence should he addressed.
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Abstract

Black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) were collected from a tamarack stand, Larix laricina (Du Roi) Koch, heavily infested with Adelges lariciatus (Patch) (Homoptera: Adelgidae). Insect nets were used to sweep the tamarack branches to capture black flies associated with the trees. Six black fly species were sweep-netted, with 85.5% of all flies belonging to Simulium venustum Say complex. Samples of honeydew and the crops and midguts of individual black flies were tested by thin layer chromatography using fructose, glucose, sucrose, turanose, melezitose, raffinose, and stachyose as standards. The sugars fructose, glucose, sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose were found in the adelgid honeydew samples. Of the 201 black flies tested, 194 contained sugars, which occurred in 16 combinations. It is argued that stachyose can be used to indicate when black flies have fed on the adelgid honeydew. We conclude that 49.7% of the S. venustum collected from the tamarack had fed recently on this honeydew source. In addition, it was observed that black flies reared in the laboratory readily ingested freshly excreted and older (dry) honeydew when presented with branches from the tamarack stand.

Résumé

Des mouches noires (Diptera : Simuliidae) ont été récoltées dans une forêt de mélèzes [Larix laricina (Du Roi) Koch] fortement infestée de pucerons Adelges lariciatus (Patch) (Homoptera : Adelgidae). Des filets fauchoirs ont été utilisés pour capturer les mouches noires dans les rameaux des mélèzes. Six espèces ont été capturées, mais 85,5% des mouches noires appartenaient au complexe Simulium venustum Say. Des échantillons de miellat et des prélèvements de jabots et d’estomacs de mouches noires ont été soumis à la technique de chromatographie en couche mince et les sucres fructose, glucose, sucrose, turanose, mélézitose, raffinose et stachyose ont servi à la calibration. Le fructose, le glucose, le sucrose, le raffinose et le stachyose ont été trouvés dans les échantillons de miellat des pucerons. Des 201 mouches noires expérimentales, 194 contenaient des sucres présents en 16 combinaisons différentes. Le stachyose s’est avéré être le sucre tout indiqué pour déterminer si les mouches noires s’étaient nourries de miellat. Au total, 49,7% des S. venustum capturées dans la forêt de mélèzes s’étaient nourries de miellat depuis peu. De plus, des mouches noires de laboratoire mises en présence de rameaux provenant de la forêt de mélèzes se sont nourries de miellat frais et de miellat plus ancien (séché) présents sur les branches.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 129 , Issue 5 , October 1997 , pp. 859 - 869
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1997

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