Dispersion and Population Densities of the Eye Gnat Hippelates Pusio
Abstract
Fluorescent dust was used to mark field-collected, field-collected and sterilized, and laboratory-reared Hippelates pusio Loew adults for dispersal studies. The dispersion of the field-collected adults was much greater than that of the laboratory-reared gnats. The average dispersal distance of field-collected and sterilized gnats was slightly greater than the non-sterilized field gnats, thus sterilization did not appear to affect dispersion. The farthest distance of dispersal was 1106 m (1 gnat), while the longest interval following release that a marked gnat was collected was 10 days. During a 2 year period, the months of June through August yielded the highest field populations, with peaks occurring during July. The population density of H. pusio calculated for a 213.3 ha (527 acres) partially wooded farm was approximately 2 to 5 thousand per 0.4 ha (acre) or a total of 1 to 3 million gnats.Downloads
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