Effects of carbon dioxide, acetone and 1‐octen‐3‐ol on the activity of the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitmns

Abstract

Abstract. The responses of Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) to carbon dioxide, acetone and 1‐octen‐3‐ol were assessed using flight activity as a measure of activation. Carbon dioxide and acetone caused significant increases in activity, with thresholds at ‐0.006% and ‐0.01 μg 1‐l, respectively. For l‐octen‐3‐ol, flight activity decreased at 2 μg 1‐1 for males, and at 0.2 μg 1‐1 for females. Variation in activity was also manifest as differences in the time elapsed between landing and subsequent take‐off: CO2 (7.1 s) and acetone (12.2s) had lower times than the corresponding no‐odour controls (16.6 and 23.2s), whereas 1‐octen‐3‐ol (25 s) had a higher time than the control (21.5 s). The proportion of the total number of flights landing on a black target was higher in CO2(0.16) and acetone (0.11) than in clear air (c. 0.07), but was lower for l‐octen‐3‐ol.

Dispersion of carbon dioxide plumes in African woodland: implications for host‐finding by tsetse flies

“…For example, wind tunnel studies suggest that minimum concentrations of 60–300 p.p.m. are required to activate Glossina morsitans (Bursell, 1984), Aedes aegypti (Eiras & Jepson, 1991), Anopheles gambiae s.s. (Healy & Copland, 1995) and Stomoxys calcitrans (Warnes & Finlayson, 1985; Schofield et al ., 1997). The present data suggest that these concentrations are only likely to occur in natural odour plumes very close to the host, and yet there is incontrovertible evidence that tsetse exhibit a significant upwind bias in flight orientation when 2 L min −1 CO 2 is dispensed 15 m upwind (Gibson et al ., 1991; Torr & Mangwiro, 1996).…”

“…For tsetse (Diptera: Glossinidae), CO 2 activates resting flies (Bursell, 1987; Torr, 1988), elicits optomotor upwind anemotactic (Colvin et al ., 1989), klinokinetic and orthokinetic responses (Gibson & Brady, 1988; Warnes, 1990), and elicits alighting on a host animal (Vale, 1983; Vale & Hall, 1985). The role of CO 2 in host‐seeking behaviour has also been documented for other diurnal biting flies such as stable flies (Diptera: Muscidae) (Warnes & Finlayson, 1985; Schofield et al ., 1997) and horseflies (Diptera: Tabanidae) (Thornhill & Hays, 1972; French & Kline, 1989).…”

Responses of the biting midge Culicoides impunctatus to acetone, CO2 and 1‐octen‐3‐ol in a wind tunnel

“…1995 ). Response thresholds for activation by CO 2 are typically low: 0.006–0.01% for Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) ( Warnes & Finlayson, 1985a; Schofield et al . 1997 ) and 0.01% for tsetse ( Bursell, 1984).…”

Visual and olfactory responses of haematophagous Diptera to host stimuli

“…Laboratory studies with S. calcitrans have demonstrated anemotactic responses to carbon dioxide, octenol and acetone ( Warnes & Finlayson 1985b; Schofield et al . 1997 ).…”