Temporal occurrence of third-stage larvae of Elaeophora schneideri in Tabanus lineola hinellus on South Island, South Carolina.

Abstract

The occurrence of third-stage larvae of the arterial worm (Elaeophora schneideri) in populations of the horse fly, Tabanus lineola hinellus, was studied on South Island, Georgetown County, South Carolina. Over the period from mid-April to mid-October 1982, horse flies had a bimodal pattern of abundance with peak populations in June and September. During individual bimonthly horse fly collections, the prevalence of infection of T. l. hinellus ranged from 0 to 1.23%. Prevalence of infected horse flies was biphasic with peaks in mid-May (1.23%) and mid-August (1.22%), 2 to 4 wk prior to peaks in horse fly populations. The intensity of infection of T. l. hinellus increased as time progressed and was highest in late summer. This increase resulted in greater recovery of infective larvae during August-September (mean intensity = 25) than in May-June (mean intensity = 4). Both prevalence and intensity of infection of T. l. hinellus were low compared to primary intermediate hosts of E. schneideri in the western U.S.