Rearing of Texas Tabanidae (Diptera). I. Collection, feeding, and maintenance of coastal marsh species

In order to study methods of rearing Tabanidae, a total of 1639 females of several coastal-marsh species was collected in July-August 1977 in modified Manitoba and animal traps (of which the attractiveness was augmented with carbon dioxide from dry ice) at West Galveston Bay in Texas. Tabanus nigrovittatus Macq. was the dominant species (1228 individuals), followed by T. lineola var. hinellus Philip (349 individuals) and T. acutus (Big.) (62 individuals). Immediately after collection, many females fed on warmed citrated beef blood through animal membranes, and 26.7-39.6% of 353 females of the 3 species engorged through membranes placed on the top of collection containers in the traps. Mortality rates measured in a sample population were fairly constant for all species and all ages of adults; 50% of the population of T. nigrovittatus were still alive after 5 days and 0% after 50 days, while the corresponding periods for T. lineola var. hinellus were 4 and 36 days, and for T. acutus 9 and 49 days. Comparison of collection data for some minor species of Tabanus with those obtained in the same region in 1971 indicated that several inland species had declined or disappeared between 1971 and 1977.