Affiliations 

  • 1 Entomology Section, Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, Chiang Mai 50180, Thailand
  • 2 Center of Insect Vector Study, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
  • 3 Vector Borne Disease Control Center 1.3, Chiang Rai 57000, Thailand
  • 4 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Western University, Kanchanaburi 71170, Thailand
  • 5 Faculty of Veterinary Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
  • 6 Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Insects, 2021 May 31;12(6).
PMID: 34072677 DOI: 10.3390/insects12060504

Abstract

Black flies form a group of small blood-sucking insects of medical and veterinary importance. This study aimed to investigate the community structure, biodiversity and spatial and temporal distribution of adult black flies in tropical rain forests, by using malaise traps in Doi Inthanon National Park, northern Thailand. Malaise traps were placed along six elevational gradients (400 m to 2500 m, above sea level) at Doi Inthanon National Park, Chiang Mai province, from December 2013 to November 2014. A total of 9406 adult female black flies belonging to five subgenera-Daviesellum (2%), Gomphostilbia (23%), Montisimulium (11%), Nevermannia (16%) and Simulium (48%)-were collected. Among 44 taxa found, S. tenebrosum complex had the highest relative abundance (11.1%), followed by the S. asakoae species-group (9.6%), the S. striatum species-group (7.7%), S. inthanonense (6.6%), S. doipuiense complex (6.4%), S. chomthongense complex (5.3%), S. chumpornense (5.1%) and S. nigrogilvum (4.1%). Two human-biting species-S. nigrogilvum and species in the S. asakoae species-group-were found in all of the collection sites with 100% species occurrence. Species richness was highest at mid elevation (1400 m), which is represented by 19 black fly species. The peak and lowest seasonal abundance was observed in the rainy and hot season, respectively. Seasonal species richness was highest in the cold season, except for that from elevation sites at 700 m, 1700 m and 2500 m. This study revealed that the malaise trap is effective in providing important data for further monitoring of the effects of environmental changes and conservation planning on the biodiversity of black flies in Doi Inthanon National Park.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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