Quantitative Sampling of Preimaginal Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) and Drift Ecology of Simulium Tuberosum Lundstrom Complex
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 1982 Quantitative sampling of preimaginal black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) and drift ecology of Simulium tuberosum Lundstrom complex. Kenneth Raymond Simmons University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses Simmons, Kenneth Raymond, "Quantitative sampling of preimaginal black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) and drift ecology of Simulium tuberosum Lundstrom complex." (1982). Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014. 3043. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/3043 This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. QUANTITATIVE SAMPLING OF PREIMAGINAL BLACK FLIES (DIPTERA:SIMULIIDAE) AND DRIFT ECOLOGY OF SIMULIUM TUBEROSUM LUNDSTROM COMPLEX A Thesis Presented By KENNETH RAYMOND SIMMONS Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE February 1982 Entomology QUANTITATIVE SAMPLING OF PREIMAGINAL BLACK FLIES (DIPTERA:SIMULIIDAE) AND DRIFT ECOLOGY OF SIMULIUM TUBEROSUM LUNDSTROM COMPLEX A Thesis Presented By KENNETH RAYMOND SIMMONS Approved as to style and content by: //A C / -f v c John D. Edman, Chairperson of Commrtrto^ C\J. G. JohnU&. Stoffolano,0Member Michael R. Ross, Member fr / /! n ' --a John D. Edman Acting Department Head IjCntomology To Anne, who started this project 2 days late hut stuck around for the finish. She knows the rest. m ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis should perhaps he titled "The dead horse that would not die". My most sincere thanks to Dr. John Edman, my major professor, for never allowing it to be buried. His patience in allowing me to do my own thing has made me a better scientist -- I hope. I also would like to thank Drs. John Stoffolano and Michael Ross for agreeing to serve on my committee after most of the research had been completed. Dr. Pedro Barbosa allowed me the liberal use of his truck during the early phase of this project. Many special thanks to Steve Bennett, Dennis Lapointe, Roger Nasci, Ned Walker and Wren Withers for their friend¬ ship and occaisional' jonts to the field to lend a hand. Thanks also to the rest of the Apiary group for helping to make graduate school more enjoyable. I am particularly lucky and thankful for the 52 gang, whose love and encouragement always helped. My parents love is dearly appreciated. It got me started and helped me finish. This research was supported by Northeast Regional Black Fly Project NE-118 (Hatch 436) administered by the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station. That support was greatly appreciated. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . iv LIST OF TABLES. vii LIST OF FIGURES . ix Chapter I. LITERATURE REVIEW . 1 Economic Importance and Control of Black Flies . ..... 1 Sampling Preimaginal Black Flies ... 5 Ecology of Preimaginal Black Flies . 7 Microdistribution . 7 Substratum preference by larvae . 8 Density of black flies on substratum . 9 Dispersal of black fly larvae ... 10 II. THE SIX LARVAL INSTARS OF THE SIMULIUM TUBEROSUM COMPLEX (DIPTERA: SIMULIIDAE) . 14 Introduction... 1^ Materials and Methods ........ Results. 16 Discussion . 25 Conclusions. 26 III. ANALYSIS OF CERAMIC TILES FOR QUANTITATIVE SAMPLING OF PREIMAGINAL BLACK FLIES (DIPTERA: SIMULIIDAE) IN A ROCKY BOTTOM STREAM. 27 Introduction . 27 Materials and Methods . 28 Field study sites. 28 Description of the tiles . 29 Determining rock surface area ... 29 V Chapter Page Placement and collection of tiles. 30 Experimental procedures . c . 30 Results. 34 Population dispersion . 34 Tile placement. 35 Density of black flies on rocks compared to tiles. 36 Frequency of instars captured on tiles versus natural substrates. 38 Importance of current velocity and tile angle . 42 Tile colonization. 48 Captures on old versus new tiles . 48 Discussion. 51 Conclusions ..... 55 IV. DRIFTING BEHAVIOR OF SIMULIUM TUBEROSUM AND OTHER BLACK FLIES AND . ITS POSSIBLE CAUSE. 58 Introduction . 58 Materials and Methods ....... 60 Field study area.. • 60 Sampling of S. tuberosum drift . 60 Artificial stream . 6l Determination of S_. tuberosum ’ s drift pattern. 62 Observation of predator:prey interaction in the artificial stream . 65 Other observations of black fly defensive behavior . 67 Results. 68 Diel drift pattern of S. tuberosum 68 Foraging behavior of perlid stone- flies . 86 Simulium tuberosum drift and evasive behavior in the artificial stream . 95 Discussion. 102 Conclusions ..... 109 LITERATURE CITED. HO vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Postgenal lengths of Simulium tuberosum instars (micrometers) . 2. Mean body lengths of the six Simulium tuberosum instars (micrometers) . 23 3. Mean number of primary cephalic fan rays of the six S. tuberosum instars. 24 4. Black fly species collected on both tiles and natural substrates in the Saw Mill River, 1977-1980 36 5. Comparison of the number of preimaginal black flies captured on tiles placed in a random versus stratified random design . 37 6. Comparison of the number of preimaginal black flies collected on tiles and rocks using a random sampling design . 39 7. Comparison of the number of preimaginal black flies captured on rocks and tiles using a stratified design. 40 8. Comparison of the percentage of the total of each black fly species captured on tiles vs. rocks at station 1. 41 9. Comparison of the proportion of the total of each S. tuberosum instar collected on 25 tile samples at station 4. 4l 10. Least squares linear regression of the number of preimaginal black flies (N + 1 log10 transformed) versus current velocity or the data from random and stratified random samples combined .... 42 11. Comparison of the number of S. tuberosum larvae captured on tiles placed at different angles on redwood boards .... 44 12. Comparison of current velocity measured at 4 areas near a ceramic tile on a redwood board at 0, 20, 40, 60, and 90 degrees . 4? 13. Colonization rate of black flies and other insects on ceramic tiles at station 4 . 49 14. Comparison of the number of black fly larvae and pupae collected on old and new tiles during winter and summer months ...... 50 Vll "\ Table Page 15. Comparison of the percent of the total larvae and pupae captured and temperature measurements during each sample period of each of the six diel test dates .... 71 16. Mean (N + 1 log base 10 transformed) number of larvae and pupae captured per tile during day and night for each diel period .. 72 17. Comparison of the mean percent of each of the six S. tuberosum instars captured during each of the 5 bay and 3 night sample periods on each diel sample period . 75 18. Comparison of the population age structure of S. tuberosum larvae as determined from random substrate collections and 24 h drift tile samples (1900 - 1900 h). 75 19* Comparison of S. tuberosum larvae captured on drift samplers between the daylight-dark and dark-daylight periods . 79 20. Total number of black fly larvae and pupae collected in eight contiguous 3 h samples over a 24 h period compared to those captured in single 24 h samples on the 2 subsequent days . 87 21. Location of perlid stoneflies on rocks during day and night. 88 22. Digested status of prey items in the guts of perlid stoneflies collected during day and night. 90 23. Drift of S. tuberosum larvae in an outdoor artificial stream with and without stonefly predators . ... 96 24. Prey found in the alimentary canal of most common perlids found at the study site . 99 25. Electivity coefficients of the predominate prey items in the diet of P. immarginata 100 • • • vi 11 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Plot of the mean postgenal length (log,0) against the respective S. tuberosum instar . 18 2. Linear regression line of body length against postgenal length of individual larvae ... 22 3. Redwood board used to hold tiles at various angles relative to the stream bottom. Tiles were held at desired angles by dowels placed on their underside. The board was placed in the stream parallel to the bottom and perpendicular to the direction of the stream flow. 33 4. Distribution of Simulium tuberosum larvae on the upstream surface of tiles placed at 0, 20, 40, 60, and 90 degree angles relative to the stream bottom on a redwood board. Data is combined from 4 repetitions. Tops of the figures represent the tile edges nearest the water surface. Direction of stream flow is indicated by the arrow ... 46 5. Average drift pattern of S. tuberosum larvae based on the mean percent of the total larvae and pupae captured on tiles for each sample period of each of the six diel test dates. Lines around each mean are standard deviations . 70 6. Diel drift pattern of S. tuberosum instars based on the percentage of each instar captured for each of the 8 sample periods during a diel (1 = 1900 h, 2 = 2200 h, 3 = 0100 h, 4 = 0400 h, 5 = 0700 h, 6 = 1000 h, 7 = 1300 h, 8 = 1600 h; the letters A-E correspond to the sample dates listed in Fig. 7).. 74 7. Drift pattern of S. tuberosum larvae for each of the six diel periods. The solid line is the mean number of larvae per tile and the hatched line is discharge. (A = Aug. 2-3, B = Aug, 6-7, C = Aug. 7-8, D = Aug. 22-23, E = June 26-27, F = July 5-6). 78 IX "X Figure Page 8. Drift of S, tuberosum larvae during the daylight-to-dark period in mid-July 1980. Lines about the means are standard deviations. 82 9. Drift pattern of 3 genera of Ephemeroptera based on the mean percent per time period of the total number captured for each diel period sampled in 1979 85 10.