Abstract
Dung heaps offer warm breeding sites, which might be suitable for a continuing development or even emergence at low air temperatures in winter. Therefore, this study collected substrate samples from the outer surface and core of a cattle dung heap at the beginning of the winter period. We aimed to analyze the density of immature Culicoides in relation to substrate position and temperature. We took samples from the outer layer and core of the dung heap at different heights. Floatation was used to extract Culicoides larvae from the dung heap samples. In order to rear larvae individually, we separated them in glass tubes. A total of 229 Culicoides larvae were extracted from the dung heap samples. Highest densities (99.1 % of all larvae) were recorded for the outer layers of the dung heap but hardly any in the core (0.9 % of all individuals). While the density of larvae was negatively correlated with increasing substrate temperatures, Culicoides larvae were found in a temperature range between 7.9 and 38.0 °C (mean 16.6 °C). Extracted larvae were reared to adults. All male individuals were identified as Culicoides obsoletus (Meigen), 1818 and all female individuals as C. obsoletus/Culicoides scoticus. It can be concluded that dung heaps offer temperature conditions, which allow the survival and probably also the development to adults for immature Culicoides also under harsh climate conditions in winter.
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Acknowledgments
Sincerest thanks are given to the farmer family who supported our study and helped to conduct the data sampling. We also are very grateful to Esther Timmermann and Maria Wiekhusen for the field and laboratory support and to several students assisting the laboratory work. Furthermore, we are grateful to the “Tierseuchenkasse Niedersachsen” for partially funding this study and Dr. Jona Freise and Dr. Schmedt auf der Günne (Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Oldenburg, Germany) and Dr. Barbara Gottstein (Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Consumer Protection and Regional Development, Lower Saxony (ML)) for supporting us and responding to all our questions.
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Lühken, R., Kiel, E. & Steinke, S. Culicoides biting midge density in relation to the position and substrate temperature in a cattle dung heap. Parasitol Res 113, 4659–4662 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-4182-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-4182-4