[NatureNS] Re: Black fly comments I was sent by Jim Worlford

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From: Rick Ballard <ideaphore@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2016 13:33:49 -0300
To: Murray Colbo <colbo@bellaliant.net>,
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Thanks for the interesting info on the different species of Blackfly in NS.
So the old fellas were onto something after all.

On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 11:00 PM, Murray Colbo <colbo@bellaliant.net> wrote=
:

> My name is Murray Colbo and I retired from memorial University in 2007.  =
I
> researched blackflies in Newfoundland and Labrador for many years and the=
ir
> control and my PhD on them in Queensland Australia.
>
> Black flies all have larvae that live in running water i.e streams and
> rivers around the world.  Not all species feed on blood and of those that
> do only females bite to take blood for the development of their eggs.
>
> First the person in U of Toronto who Fred mention was Dr. Klaus Rothfels
> who passed away in the 1980=E2=80=99s and I knew him and had meetings wit=
h him on
> several occasions. He was one of the originators of using Chromosome
> banding patterns to separate black fly species as there are many species
> complexes where the species all look alike but their ecology is quite
> different.
>
> Adler, Currie and wood published The Black Flies (Simuliidae) of North
> America in 2004 which was  941 PP and is to that time a comprehensive
> outline of species and their ecology to that time.  Many past species nam=
es
> used for example in newfoundland and here in Maritimes were found in erro=
r
> because they were part of a complex of species and what I or others calle=
d
> a taxa was not that but a new species within the complex.  Thus species
> identification is not easy and either needs knowledge of chromosome bandi=
ng
> patterns or now they are moving to DNA and the subsequent bar codes. They
> noted at that time there were 1772 valid species described from planet an=
d
> 252 from North America.
>
> From that book there are about 39 species in Newfoundland and Labrador an=
d
> 37 here in Maritimes. Most of these do not bite man and few do not bite a=
t
> all although most do. Many feed on birds and other mammals with several
> relatively specific to a type of host i.e bird such as water birds or
> forest birds,  large or small mammals etc.
>
> It was interesting that the comment was made that species with a line of
> white on front legs, which are some of the species of the genus Simulium,
> and there are several species here with those white stripped legs, don=E2=
=80=99t
> bite. Well many do not but some species of that group in fact do so.  I w=
as
> bitten in yard here in Coldbrook by them just with in last few days.  The=
se
> species  hatch in spring to late fall with most species in early spring =
=E2=80=93
> summer.  One or two have more than one generation per year but some only
> one that occurs in spring although adults may live into summer under righ=
t
> conditions.
>
> The dark legged  species that bite people are in this area Prosimulium
> species or occasionally Stegopterna.  These species all have one generati=
on
> per year and hatch in fall with larvae growing in streams over the winter
> and emerging in the spring as adults.  These also may survive under corre=
ct
> conditions into the summer.  This group emerge before the white stripped
> leg species.  However the female first batch of eggs is developed on food
> reserves from larval period and then when those are laid some species see=
k
> a blood meal to produce a second and even a third or fourth, although rar=
e,
> batch. Females of these species are much more aggressive blood feeders on
> people and often dominate the actual  feeding flies although the white
> legged ones may be the dominate ones fly around and landing on you.  It h=
as
> been recorded that 95% of those biting you were dark legged but might be
> less than 5 % flying around you. Which ones come first depends a bit on
> weather conditions as the dark legged females have to lay eggs before
> seeking blood meal and they only do that at  or above 10 degree C. In fac=
t
> adults are almost never active below 10-11 degrees and only generally in
> day time although that can extend to late evening sometimes.
>
> Hope this provides some additional information to you
>
> Murray
>
>
>
>
>



--=20
Rick Ballard
Dartmouth,Nova Scotia, Canada

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_default" style=3D"font-family:georgia,=
serif">Thanks for the interesting info on the different species of Blackfly=
 in NS. So the old fellas were onto something after all.=C2=A0</div></div><=
div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Tue, Jun 28, 20=
16 at 11:00 PM, Murray Colbo <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"mailto:colbo@=
bellaliant.net" target=3D"_blank">colbo@bellaliant.net</a>&gt;</span> wrote=
:<br><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-le=
ft:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir=3D"ltr">
<div dir=3D"ltr">
<div style=3D"FONT-SIZE:12pt;FONT-FAMILY:&#39;Calibri&#39;;COLOR:#000000">
<div>My name is Murray Colbo and I retired from memorial University in=20
2007.=C2=A0 I researched blackflies in Newfoundland and Labrador for many y=
ears=20
and their control and my PhD on them in Queensland Australia.</div>
<div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>Black flies all have larvae that live in running water i.e streams and=
=20
rivers around the world.=C2=A0 Not all species feed on blood and of those t=
hat=20
do only females bite to take blood for the development of their eggs.</div>
<div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>First the person in U of Toronto who Fred mention was Dr. Klaus Rothfe=
ls=20
who passed away in the 1980=E2=80=99s and I knew him and had meetings with =
him on=20
several occasions. He was one of the originators of using Chromosome bandin=
g=20
patterns to separate black fly species as there are many species complexes =
where=20
the species all look alike but their ecology is quite different.</div>
<div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>Adler, Currie and wood published The Black Flies (Simuliidae) of North=
=20
America in 2004 which was=C2=A0 941 PP and is to that time a comprehensive=
=20
outline of species and their ecology to that time.=C2=A0 Many past species =
names=20
used for example in newfoundland and here in Maritimes were found in error=
=20
because they were part of a complex of species and what I or others called =
a=20
taxa was not that but a new species within the complex.=C2=A0 Thus species=
=20
identification is not easy and either needs knowledge of chromosome banding=
=20
patterns or now they are moving to DNA and the subsequent bar codes. They n=
oted=20
at that time there were 1772 valid species described from planet and 252 fr=
om=20
North America.</div>
<div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>From that book there are about 39 species in Newfoundland and Labrador=
 and=20
37 here in Maritimes. Most of these do not bite man and few do not bite at =
all=20
although most do. Many feed on birds and other mammals with several relativ=
ely=20
specific to a type of host i.e bird such as water birds or forest birds,=C2=
=A0=20
large or small mammals etc.</div>
<div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>It was interesting that the comment was made that species with a line=
=20
of=C2=A0 white on front legs, which are some of the species of the genus=20
Simulium, and there are several species here with those white stripped legs=
,=20
don=E2=80=99t bite. Well many do not but some species of that group in fact=
 do so.=C2=A0=20
I was bitten in yard here in Coldbrook by them just with in last few days.=
=C2=A0=20
These species=C2=A0 hatch in spring to late fall with most species in early=
=20
spring =E2=80=93 summer.=C2=A0 One or two have more than one generation per=
 year but=20
some only one that occurs in spring although adults may live into summer un=
der=20
right conditions.</div>
<div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>The dark legged=C2=A0 species that bite people are in this area Prosim=
ulium=20
species or occasionally Stegopterna.=C2=A0 These species all have one gener=
ation=20
per year and hatch in fall with larvae growing in streams over the winter a=
nd=20
emerging in the spring as adults.=C2=A0 These also may survive under correc=
t=20
conditions into the summer.=C2=A0 This group emerge before the white stripp=
ed=20
leg species.=C2=A0 However the female first batch of eggs is developed on f=
ood=20
reserves from larval period and then when those are laid some species seek =
a=20
blood meal to produce a second and even a third or fourth, although rare, b=
atch.=20
Females of these species are much more aggressive blood feeders on people a=
nd=20
often dominate the actual=C2=A0 feeding flies although the white legged one=
s may=20
be the dominate ones fly around and landing on you.=C2=A0 It has been recor=
ded=20
that 95% of those biting you were dark legged but might be less than 5 % fl=
ying=20
around you. Which ones come first depends a bit on weather conditions as th=
e=20
dark legged females have to lay eggs before seeking blood meal and they onl=
y do=20
that at=C2=A0 or above 10 degree C. In fact adults are almost never active =
below=20
10-11 degrees and only generally in day time although that can extend to la=
te=20
evening sometimes. </div>
<div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>Hope this provides some additional information to you</div><span class=
=3D"HOEnZb"><font color=3D"#888888">
<div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>Murray</div>
<div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>=C2=A0</div></font></span></div></div></div>
</blockquote></div><br><br clear=3D"all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class=
=3D"gmail_signature" data-smartmail=3D"gmail_signature"><span style=3D"font=
-family:georgia,serif">Rick Ballard </span><br style=3D"font-family:georgia=
,serif"><span style=3D"font-family:georgia,serif">Dartmouth,Nova Scotia, Ca=
nada </span><br style=3D"font-family:georgia,serif"><span style=3D"font-fam=
ily:georgia,serif"></span></div>
</div>

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