Poster Details
BLACK FLY (DIPTERA: SIMULIIDAE) PARASITE DISTRIBUTION IN WESTERN OHIO
Mid-to late instar black fly immatures were collected from 163 mid-size streams in western Ohio during mid-March to mid-April. The black fly larvae and pupae were preserved in Carnoy’s solution. The streams were located in Ohio’s Huron-Erie Lake Plains (HELP), Eastern Corn Belt Plains (ECLP) and the Interior Plateau (IP) ecoregions. The overall larval infection rate for western Ohio was 2.8 percent and the highest parasitism rate for a stream was 29.2 percent; this stream was located in the ECLP. Throughout the study, 23 percent of the streams contained black flies that were infected with parasites. The parasites (in order of prevalence) consisted of nematodes (family Mermithidae), microsporidia (Polydispyrenia simulii), and fungus (Coelomycidium simulii). A total of 19 species of black flies were collected and 9 of those species were infected with parasites. P. simulii and C. simulii were only found on Simulium and Stegopterna species. Prosimulium albionense was the most heavily parasitized (mermithids) species of black fly. Mermithid parasitism was highest in streams located in the southern part of the ECLP. The transitional boundaries between the ecoregions had lowest black fly larval infection rates.
Mike Mendel (Primary Presenter/Author), Cedarville University, mmendel@cedarville.edu;
Peter Adler (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Clemson University, padler@clemson.edu;
Rhonda Mendel (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), EnviroScience Inc., rmendel@enviroscienceinc.com;