Betrequia ocellata Oldroyd (Diptera, Tabanidae, Rhinomyzini) blood feeding on Caiman crocodilus (Linnaeus) (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae) in Manaus, Brazil

Henriques, Augusto Loureiro; Ferreira, Ruth Leila Menezes; Vidal, João Ferreira; Rafael, José Albertino

doi:10.1590/S0101-81752000000300007

Abstract

In Central Amazonia the tabanid Betrequia ocellala Oldroyd, 1970 was recorded for the first time blood feeding on caimans during an experiment in September/October 1996 at Ducke Reserve, Manaus, Brazil. Among different available hosts (Caiman, horse, duck and human) B. ocellata was observed only on Caiman crocodilus (Linnaeus, 1758), suggesting specific blood feeding on crocodilians. The adult flight season, diurnal blood feeding period and flight stratification are presented. Other tabanid species feeding or landing on caimans are also recorded.

Diptera; Tabanidae; Chrysopsinae; Rhinomyzini; Betrequia ocellata; Amazon basin; hematophagy; Caiman; Alligatoridae

Betrequia ocellata Oldroyd (Diptera, Tabanidae, Rhinomyzini) blood feeding on Caiman crocodilus (Linnaeus) (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae) in Manaus, Brazil

Augusto Loureiro Henriques^I,II; Ruth Leila Menezes Ferreira^I; João Ferreira Vidal^I; José Albertino Rafael^I,II

^ICoordenação de Entomologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Caixa Postal 478, 69011-970 Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil

^IICNPq Research Scholarship holder

ABSTRACT

In Central Amazonia the tabanid Betrequia ocellala Oldroyd, 1970 was recorded for the first time blood feeding on caimans during an experiment in September/October 1996 at Ducke Reserve, Manaus, Brazil. Among different available hosts (Caiman, horse, duck and human) B. ocellata was observed only on Caiman crocodilus (Linnaeus, 1758), suggesting specific blood feeding on crocodilians. The adult flight season, diurnal blood feeding period and flight stratification are presented. Other tabanid species feeding or landing on caimans are also recorded.

Key words: Diptera, Tabanidae, Chrysopsinae, Rhinomyzini, Betrequia ocellata, Amazon basin, hematophagy, Caiman, Alligatoridae

Full text available only in PDF format.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We are grateful to Glória Moreira

(in memorian)

and George Rebelo for comments concerning the ecology of Amazonian reptiles and on the manuscript and Dr. Philip Fearnside for comments on the manuscript.

Recebido em 16.IX.1999; aceito em 18.VIII.2000.

Coscarón, S. & C.B. Philip. 1977. Genitalic substantiation of first record in the New World of a representative of the peculiar Old World tabanid tribe Rhinomyzini. Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 79:38-40.
Fairchild, G.B. & J.F. Burger. 1994. A Catalog of the Tabanidae (Diptera) of the Americas South of the United States. Mem. Amer. Ent. Inst. 55:249p.
Gorayeb, I.S. & J.A. Rafael. 1985. Tabanidae (Diptera) da Amazonia. III. Description of the male of Betrequia ocellata Oldroyd with comments on Rhinomyzini in the New World. Myia 3:333-340.
Gorzula, S. & A.E. Seijas. 1989. The common caiman, p. 44-61. In: P. Hall & R. Bryant (Eds.). Crocodiles - Their Ecology Management, and Conservation. Gland, IUCN Publication New Series, 308p.
Henriques A.L. & I.S. Gorayeb. 1993. A Coleção de Tabanidae (Insecta: Diptera) do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brasil. Goeldiana Zool., Belém, 20:1-23.
Magnusson, W.E. & A.P. Lima. 1991. The ecology of a cryptic predator, Paleosuchus trigonatus, in tropical rain forest. Jour. Herpetol. 25:41-48.
Medem, F. 1981. Horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) as ectoparasites on caimans (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae) in eastern Colombia. Cespedesia, Cali, 10(37-38):123-191.
Oldroyd, H. 1957. The horseflies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of the Ethiopian Region, vol III. Chrysopinae, Scepsidinae and Pangoniinae. London, British Mus. (N.H.), 489p.
______. 1970. A new genus of Rhinomyzini (Diptera: Tabanidae), the first from South America. Jour. Nat. Hist. 4:249-253.
Philip, C.B. 1975. Confirmation of occurrence in Amazonas of the tabanid Tribe Rhinomyzini. Pan-Pac. Ent. 51:95.
______. 1976. Horse flies, too, take some victims in cold-blood, as on Galapagos Isles. Pan-Pac. Ent. 52(1):84-88.
______. 1986. A collection of four species of tabanid flies taken from an Anaconda snake in Peru in May 1984. Pan-Pac. Ent. 62(1):23.
Rafael, J.A. & J.D. Charlwood. 1980. Idade fisiológica, variação sazonal e periodicidade diurna de quatro populações de Tabanidae (Diptera) no Campus Universitário, Manaus, Brasil. Acta Amazônica, Manaus, 10(4):907-927.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
08 May 2009
Date of issue
Sept 2000

History

Accepted
18 Aug 2000
Received
16 Sept 1999

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] Coscarón, S. & C.B. Philip. 1977. Genitalic substantiation of first record in the New World of a representative of the peculiar Old World tabanid tribe Rhinomyzini. Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 79:38-40.

[2] Fairchild, G.B. & J.F. Burger. 1994. A Catalog of the Tabanidae (Diptera) of the Americas South of the United States. Mem. Amer. Ent. Inst. 55:249p.

[3] Gorayeb, I.S. & J.A. Rafael. 1985. Tabanidae (Diptera) da Amazonia. III. Description of the male of Betrequia ocellata Oldroyd with comments on Rhinomyzini in the New World. Myia 3:333-340.

[4] Gorzula, S. & A.E. Seijas. 1989. The common caiman, p. 44-61. In: P. Hall & R. Bryant (Eds.). Crocodiles - Their Ecology Management, and Conservation. Gland, IUCN Publication New Series, 308p.

[5] Henriques A.L. & I.S. Gorayeb. 1993. A Coleção de Tabanidae (Insecta: Diptera) do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brasil. Goeldiana Zool., Belém, 20:1-23.

[6] Magnusson, W.E. & A.P. Lima. 1991. The ecology of a cryptic predator, Paleosuchus trigonatus, in tropical rain forest. Jour. Herpetol. 25:41-48.

[7] Medem, F. 1981. Horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) as ectoparasites on caimans (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae) in eastern Colombia. Cespedesia, Cali, 10(37-38):123-191.

[8] Oldroyd, H. 1957. The horseflies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of the Ethiopian Region, vol III. Chrysopinae, Scepsidinae and Pangoniinae. London, British Mus. (N.H.), 489p.

[9] ______. 1970. A new genus of Rhinomyzini (Diptera: Tabanidae), the first from South America. Jour. Nat. Hist. 4:249-253.

[10] Philip, C.B. 1975. Confirmation of occurrence in Amazonas of the tabanid Tribe Rhinomyzini. Pan-Pac. Ent. 51:95.

[11] ______. 1976. Horse flies, too, take some victims in cold-blood, as on Galapagos Isles. Pan-Pac. Ent. 52(1):84-88.

[12] ______. 1986. A collection of four species of tabanid flies taken from an Anaconda snake in Peru in May 1984. Pan-Pac. Ent. 62(1):23.

[13] Rafael, J.A. & J.D. Charlwood. 1980. Idade fisiológica, variação sazonal e periodicidade diurna de quatro populações de Tabanidae (Diptera) no Campus Universitário, Manaus, Brasil. Acta Amazônica, Manaus, 10(4):907-927.