Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Newforge Lane, Belfast, BT9 5PX, Northern Ireland, UK.
Parasitol Res. 2014 Aug;113(8):3085-94. doi: 10.1007/s00436-014-3974-x. Epub 2014 Jun 10.
Sticky traps were mounted on heifers and sheep to assess Culicoides spp. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) host preference. Initially, four coloured 200-cm(2) sticky traps (white, clear, yellow and blue) were attached to the backs of each of ten Friesian heifers that were released into open pasture for 24 h, repeated on six occasions. More Obsoletus group Culicoides were caught on the white and clear traps than on the yellow and blue. Trap position on the right or left flank also affected midge catch, probably due to heifer orientation in the field. Next, six Friesian heifers and six Charollais hoggets each had one clear and one white sticky strap attached to their backs for one 24-h period per week, repeated for 24 weeks. Overall, Obsoletus group Culicoides comprised 91.8% (n = 5, 955) of the midge catch but there was no evidence of host preference, either discounting or including host live weight in the analyses. However, Pulicaris group Culicoides did demonstrate a significant host preference for sheep, providing that the analysis was adjusted for live weight. On heifers, the Pulicaris group comprised 7.5% of biting midges caught, whereas on hoggets, it comprised 12.7%.
粘性陷阱被安装在小母牛和绵羊身上，以评估库蠓属（双翅目：蠓科）的宿主偏好。最初，将四个彩色的 200-cm(2)粘性陷阱（白色、透明、黄色和蓝色）分别附着在十头弗里斯兰小母牛的背部，每头小母牛在开放牧场中释放 24 小时，重复六次。在白色和透明的陷阱上捕获的 Obsoletus 组库蠓比在黄色和蓝色的陷阱上多。陷阱在右侧或左侧的位置也会影响蠓的捕获量，可能是由于小母牛在田间的方位。接下来，六头弗里斯兰小母牛和六头夏洛莱母羊在背部各贴上一个透明和一个白色的粘性带，每周一次，持续 24 周。总体而言，Obsoletus 组库蠓占捕获的蠓的 91.8%（n=5,955），但无论是在分析中不考虑还是包括宿主活重，都没有证据表明存在宿主偏好。然而，Pulicaris 组库蠓确实表现出对绵羊的明显宿主偏好，只要分析考虑了活重。在小母牛身上，Pulicaris 组占捕获的吸血蠓的 7.5%，而在母羊身上，占 12.7%。
