Academic literature on the topic 'Loose flies'

Symbiotic interactions between insects and bacteria are ubiquitous and form a continuum from loose facultative symbiosis to greatly intimate and stable obligate symbiosis. In blood-sucking insects living exclusively on vertebrate blood, obligate endosymbionts are essential for hosts and hypothesized to supplement B-vitamins and cofactors missing from their blood diet. The role and distribution of facultative endosymbionts and their evolutionary significance as seeds of obligate symbioses are much less understood. Here, using phylogenetic approaches, we focus on the Hippoboscidae phylogeny as well as the stability and dynamics of obligate symbioses within this bloodsucking group. In particular, we demonstrate a new potentially obligate lineage of Sodalis co-evolving with the Olfersini subclade of Hippoboscidae. We also show several likely facultative Sodalis lineages closely related to Sodalis praecaptivus (HS strain) and suggest repeated acquisition of novel symbionts from the environment. Similar to Sodalis, Arsenophonus endosymbionts also form both obligate endosymbiotic lineages co-evolving with their hosts (Ornithomyini and Ornithoica groups) as well as possibly facultative infections incongruent with the Hippoboscidae phylogeny. Finally, we reveal substantial diversity of Wolbachia strains detected in Hippoboscidae samples falling into three supergroups: A, B, and the most common F. Altogether, our results prove the associations between Hippoboscoidea and their symbiotic bacteria to undergo surprisingly dynamic, yet selective, evolutionary processes strongly shaped by repeated endosymbiont replacements. Interestingly, obligate symbionts only originate from two endosymbiont genera, Arsenophonus and Sodalis, suggesting that the host is either highly selective about its future obligate symbionts or that these two lineages are the most competitive when establishing symbioses in louse flies.

Abstract Mixed beef breeds of cow/calves and heifers were separated into 4 groups and treated as follows: 34/31 (cow/calf) untreated (C); 29/29 treated with 10% diflubenzuron boluses at a rate of 2 boluses/cow and 0.5/calf (B); 40/40 tagged with 7.5% Guardian ear tags at rate of 2 tags/hd (ET); and 29/29 treated with both eartags and boluses (calves not bolused)(ET + B), and 33 heifers offered 0.463% Rabon loose mineral ad libitum (RM); Boluses were administered and ear tags attached 8 May. Total number of face flies on the face of each of 10 adult animals and horn flies on one side of the same animals were estimated weekly. Feces from the RM, B, and C groups were collected biweekly and bioassayed with house, face and horn fly larvae.

AbstractMites of the family Epidermoptidae (Acariformes) are permanent parasites dwelling on or in the skin of birds. Myialges Trouessart species are epidermoptids that have a hyperparasitic relationship with chewing lice (Phthiraptera) or louse flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae). During 1993–2016 in Manitoba, Canada, 668 ducks (20 species), geese (five species), and swans (two species) were examined for lice. A total of 157 males, 191 females, and 539 nymphs of the menoponid louse Trinoton querquedulae (Linnaeus) (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae) were collected, of which 25 adult lice from three hosts (Mergus merganser Linnaeus, Lophodytes cucullatus (Linnaeus), Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus; Aves: Anatidae) were infested with 38 female Myialges trinotoni (Cooreman). Overall prevalence and intensity of M. trinotoni was low, and mites showed no statistically significant preference between male and female lice. Myialges trinotoni is recorded from Canada (Manitoba) and United States of America (Alaska) for the first time, and two novel avian host species records (Lophodytes cucullatus and Anas platyrhynchos) are reported. The male of M. trinotoni (loose in bird washing) is illustrated and described. The barcode region of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) was amplified from M. trinoton and compared with that of Myialges caulotoon Speiser, the only congeneric species for which COI is available, and interspecific divergence was high (25%).

В результате проведенных в 1990-2019 годах исследований выявлено 13 видов мух-кровососок. Из них 9 видов паразитируют на птицах: Crataerina hirundinis (L., 1758), Crataerina pallidа (Olivier, 1812), Ornithomya avicularia (L., 1758), Ornithomya fringillina Curtis, 1836, Ornithomya chloropus Bergroth, 1901, Ornithoica turdi (Olivier, 1811), Ornithophila metallica (Schiner, 1864), Pseudolynchia canariensis (Mcq., 1840), Icosta ardeae (Mcq., 1935) (подсемейство Ornithomyinae) и 4 вида - Hippobosca equina L., 1758, Hippobosca longipennis F., 1805 (подсемейство Hippoboscinae), Lipoptena cervi (L., 1758) и Melophagus ovinus (L., 1758) (подсемейство Lipopteninae) - на млекопитающих. Десять видов - C. hirundinis, C. pallidа, O. avicularia, O. fringillina, O. chloropus, P. canariensis, H. equina, H. longipennis, L. cervi и M. ovinus - осуществляют жизненный цикл на территории Воронежской области. Остальные виды, по-видимому, привносятся птицами с весенними перелетами и отмечаются ежегодно в апреле-мае на птицах; пупарии их обнаружены не были. Преобладающими видами кровососок птиц в регионе являются O. avicularia (42,29%), O. fringillina (29,57%) и C. hirundinis (12,56%). Среди кровососок, паразитирующих на млекопитающих, массовым видом является L. cervi. M. ovinus, C. hirundinis и C. pallidа - моноксенные виды, I. ardeae, P. canariensis, L. cervi, H. equina и H. longipennis - олигоксенные, остальные - поликсенные. Имаго наиболее широко распространенных видов - O. avicularia, O. fringillina, C. pallida, и C. hirundinis - имеют пик активности в мае-июле, приходящийся на прилет птиц, насиживание и выкармливание птенцов. Однако C. hirundinis при позднем отлете хозяев отмечается и в августе-сентябре. Массовый вид - L. cervi - обычен в сентябре-октябре During research in 1999-2020, 13 species of the louse-flies were identified in the south-east of the Central Black Soil Region of Russia. The flies were collected on 22 bird species and 7 mammal species. Nine species of loose flies - Crataerina hirundinis (L., 1758), Crataerina pallidа (Olivier, 1812), Ornithomya avicularia (L., 1758), Ornithomya fringillina Curtis, 1836, Ornithomya chloropus Bergroth, 1901, Ornithoica turdi (Olivier, 1811), Ornithophila metallica (Schiner, 1864), Pseudolynchia canariensis (Mcq., 1840), Icosta ardeae (Mcq., 1835) (подсемейство Ornithomyinae) - are parasites of birds while 4 species - Hippobosca equina L., 1758, Hippobosca longipennis F., 1805 (подсемейство Hippoboscinae), Lipoptena cervi (L., 1758) и Melophagus ovinus (L., 1758) (подсемейство Lipopteninae) - feed on blood of mammals. P. canariensis was found in the region for the first time. Ten species of Hippoboscidae - C. hirundinis, C. pallida, O. avicularia, O. fringillina, O. chloropus, P. canariensis, H. equina, H. longipennis, L. cervi, and M. ovinus - reproduce and carry out their life cycles in Voronezh Region. The rest species - Icosta ardeae, Ornithoica turdi, and Ornithophila metallica, are introduced into the region by migratory birds. The predominant species were O. avicularia (42,29%), O. fringillina (29,57%), C. hirundinis (12,56%). Among parasites of mammals, L. cervi is a mass and wide spread species in the region. M. ovinus, Crataerina hirundinis, and Crataerina pallidа - monoxenous, P. canariensis, Icosta ardeae, L. cervi, H. equina, and H. longipennis - olygoxenous, while the rest of the species were polyxenous parasites of birds. All louse-flies species were found on birds and their nestlings in April-May, however C. hirundinis was also common on the second nestlings in August-September. Mass species, L. cervi, is usual in September-October.

Bridges are hinges of city road and railway, which play an important function in national economy. The changes of temperature affect the length of the highway bridge beams, so the bridge should be equipped with the expansion joint device. When vehicles pass the bridge, dust flies up and clogs the gap of the bridges. The bridge expansion joints should be cleaned in time. The main task of this project is to study a kind of device used to clean the bridge expansion joints, which including two parts: the cleaning system and vacuum dust removal system. First, we use the sweeping wheels to loose dust, then the air-blower to blow away the dust. The optimization of vacuum dust removal system was discussed in this paper. Especially, the Cyclone dust removal device works well. The machine is of higher productivity, wide application, low energy consumption, simple structure compared with similar equipments.

Certain species of parasitic flies belonging to the Phoridae are known to attack Atta spp. workers foraging along trails, near nest openings used by the ants to supply the colony with plant material, and in the areas where the ants are actively cutting plant material. However, there have been no previous studies of phorid parasitism of non-foraging worker ants, for example excavators and soldiers. Excavators can be found on the surface around specialized nest openings, carrying and dumping soil on characteristic mounds. Soldiers can be found on the trails protecting foragers or guarding the different types of nest openings. The current study was performed to investigate the differential parasitism rates of Atta laevigata (Smith, 1858) worker castes by four species of phorids. Ants of all castes on trails and at nest entrances were collect from 18 mature colonies in the field. A total of 21,254 ants were collected from trails and 14,649 collected from the mounds of loose soil near nest openings. The captured workers were maintained under controlled laboratory conditions to evaluate the rate of parasitism. Of the ants collected from trails, 1,112 (5.23%) were found to have been parasitized, of which 1,102 were foragers and only 10 were soldiers. Of the ants collected from the soil mounds near the nest openings, only 27 (0.18%) were found to have been parasitized, of those 25 were excavators and 2 were soldiers. When evaluating parasitism of ants on the trails, 46.2% were attacked by Apocephalus attophilus Borgmeier, 1928, 22.6% by Myrmosicarius grandicornis Borgmeier, 1928, 16.6% by Eibesfeldtphora erthali (Brown, 2001) and 14.6% by Apocephalus vicosae Disney, 2000. Only two species of phorid, M. grandicornis and E. erthali, were observed parasitizing excavators, whilst only E. erthali parasitized soldiers. This is the first time that Atta spp. excavators and soldiers have been shown to be parasitized by phorids. The low rates of parasitism and specificity of certain phorid species for excavators and soldiers is discussed in relation to the behavioral interactions of hosts and their parasitoids, as well as the relationship between host and parasitoid size.

Objective of research: To study the role of phoresy of the louse Mallophaga on the population of the louse-fly Hippoboscidae. Material and methods: In 1997–2015 more than 10000 birds were caught; from them about 2000 louse-flies Hippoboscidae were collected and studied. Results and discussion: 12 cases of phoresy of the louse Mallophaga on the louse-fly Hippoboscidae were recorded: 7 cases of phoresy of Columbicola columbae on pigeon louse flies Pseudolynchia canariensis collected from pigeons (Columba livia); one case — phoresy of the louse Ricinus rubeculae on the louse fly Orniyhomyia fringillina from the robin (Erithacus rubecula); one case — phoresy of the louse on the louse fly O. avicularia from the rook (Corvus frugilegus); one — phoresy of the louse on louse fly O. avicularia from the cuckoo (Cuculus canorus); one — phoresy of the louse on the louse fly Ornithoica turdi from the nightingale (Luscinia luscinia); one case — phoresy of the louse on the louse fly O. chloropus from Luscinia svecica.

La Corse est une île méditerranéenne française marquée par de fortes activités humaines et animales au sein de différents biotopes. Parmi ces biotopes, les plus marquants sont les zones humides. Au sein du territoire Corse, sept catégories de zones humides ont été dénombrées, allant de zones humides temporaires, telles les mares et les estuaires temporaires, à des zones permanentes de grande taille, telles les lagunes littorales. Ces zones sont des zones clef des activités humaines (agricoles, touristiques, récréatives), animales (agriculture, abreuvages, repos, migration) et favorables à la prolifération et à la circulation d’agents pathogènes et de leurs vecteurs. C’est dans ce contexte que nous avons mis en place cette étude, basée sur la recherche d’agents pathogènes dans différents groupes d’animaux et leurs vecteurs dans les zones humides de Corse. Elle s’est focalisée sur trois groupes d’animaux. Le premier est celui des mammifères sauvages, ayant pour modèle le sanglier. Le deuxième groupe est celui des animaux d’élevages Corse. Le troisième est celui de l’avifaune. Lors de notre étude, 601 tiques ont été collectées, réparties dans 4 genres différents : Dermacentor spp. (D. marginatus), Hyalomma spp. (Hy. marginatum et Hy. scupense), Ixodes spp. (I. acuminatus/ventalloi, I. arboricola/lividus, I. frontalis et I. ricinus) et Rhipicephalus spp. (Rh (Bo). annulatus, Rh. bursa et Rh sanguineus s.l.). Parmi ces genres, des préférences d’infestations ont été observées, comme cela a été le cas pour le genre Dermacentor pour le sanglier, le genre Rhipicephalus pour les bovins et le genre Ixodes pour l’avifaune. En complément des tiques collectées, 37 mouches plates de l’espèce Ornithomya biloba ont été collectées sur l’avifaune migratrice. Il s’agit de leur première identification sur le territoire Corse. Par le biais d’un outil de PCR micro-fluidique en temps réel à haut débit (BioMarkTM dynamic arrays, Fluidigm Corporation, USA), 34 espèces et 11 genres de bactéries, parasites et virus ont été recherchés dans les trois groupes d’animaux cibles. En complément, les virus Usutu et West Nile virus l’ont été dans les échantillons de l’avifaune. Six genres d’agents pathogènes ont été détectés dans les ectoparasites et dans les animaux : trois genres bactériens (Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia), deux genres de parasites (Babesia, Trypanosoma) et un genre viral (Flavivirus). Parmi ces différents genres, certaines espèces ont été identifiées pour la première fois en Corse comme c’est le cas pour : Rickettsia helvetica dans les tiques de l’avifaune, Ehrlichia chaffeensis dans les tiques et oiseaux échantillonnés et Anaplasma capra dans des élevages d’ovins. La présence de certains agents pathogènes a également été confirmée dans des zones humides telles que des bactéries des genres Rickettsia dans des tiques de sangliers et bovins, Anaplasma dans des élevages d’ovins et bovins, Babesia dans les tiques de sangliers et bovins ainsi que dans les populations de sangliers, Trypanosoma dans les populations de bovins et le West Nile virus dans l’avifaune
Corsica is a French Mediterranean island marked by strong human and animal activities within different biotopes. Among these biotopes, the most outstanding are the wetlands. Within the Corsican territory, seven categories of wetlands have been counted, ranging from temporary wetlands such as ponds and temporary estuaries to large permanent areas such as coastal lagoons. These areas are key areas for human (agricultural, tourist, recreational) and animal (agriculture, watering, resting) activities. Due to their characteristics, these habitats are important in public health by their role in the proliferation and circulation of pathogens and their vectors. In the context of Corsica, the sanitary importance of wetlands is all the more important due to the insular context in the Mediterranean, which makes these areas points of resting for animal migrations such as avifauna. This favorable context for the research of pathogens in groups of animals and their vectors in Corsica wetlands was the target in our study. It focused on three groups of animals. The first one is the wild mammals where we focused on the wild boar. The second group is that of the animals of the corsican breeding. The third and last group is the avifauna. During our study, a total of 601 ticks were collected. They are composed of 4 different genera: Dermacentor spp. (D. marginatus), Hyalomma spp. (Hy. marginatum and Hy. scupense), Ixodes spp. (I. acuminatus/ventalloi, I. arboricola/lividus, I. frontalis, and I. ricinus), and Rhipicephalus spp. (Rh(Bo). annulatus, Rh. bursa, and Rh sanguineus s.l.). Among these genera, infestation preferences were observed, as for the genus Dermacentor for wild boar, the genus Rhipicephalus for cattle and the genus Ixodes for avifauna. In addition to the ticks collected, 37 loose flies of the species Ornithomya biloba were collected from migratory avifauna. This is their first identification on the Corsican territory. Using a high throughput real-time micro-fluidic PCR tool (BioMarkTM dynamic arrays, Fluidigm Corporation, USA), a total of 34 species and 11 genera of bacteria, parasites and viruses were searched for in the three target animal groups. In addition, Usutu and West Nile viruses were tested in avian samples. A total of six pathogen genera were detected in ectoparasites and animals: three bacterial genera (Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia), two parasite genera (Babesia, Trypanosoma) and one viral genus (Flavivirus). Among these different genera, some species have been identified for the first time in Corsica as it is the case for: Rickettsia helvetica in avifauna ticks, Ehrlichia chaffeensis in sampled ticks and birds and Anaplasma capra in sheep farms. The presence of some pathogens was also confirmed in wetlands such as bacteria of the genera Rickettsia in wild boar and cattle ticks, Anaplasma in sheep and cattle farms, Babesia in wild boar and cattle ticks as well as in wild boar populations, Trypanosoma in cattle populations and West Nile virus in avifauna

Parasitism is defined as an obligatory hetero-specific relationship where resource transfer between a host and parasite occurs. This results in the sub-optimal expression of host life-history traits and a consequent reduction in host fitness. The Louse Fly, Crataerina pallida (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), is a monoxenous haematophagous nest ectoparasite of the Common Swift, Apus apus (Aves: Apodidae). Despite expectations, no detrimental effect to hosts from C. pallida has been determined. Here this relationship is re-apprised. C. pallida life-history is investigated, with particular reference to those traits of pertinence to its parasitic efficacy. Whether C. pallida has a detrimental effect upon A. apus is subsequently investigated. C. pallida was found to exhibit life-history characteristics strongly indicative that it is parasitic in nature. Morphological and ecological adaptations towards a parasitic lifestyle were identified. Higher levels of prevalence, aggregation, and population abundance were observed than previously reported. Populations were discovered to decline over time and to be heavily female biased. Evidence for previously unreported phenomena such as horizontal parasite transmission, intra-brood host selection, population fluctuations, male mating competition, and host facultative heterothermy was discovered. However, no detrimental impact upon a number of host traits, including previously unstudied aspects of nestling post-natal development and parental investment, were ascertained as a result of C. pallida parasitism. Therefore C. pallida does not fulfil the criteria of the standard definition of a parasitic species. The long term intimacy of the association between C. pallida and A. apus may have resulted in the development of reduced parasitic virulence as expected by hostparasite theory. The discoveries made, especially those pertaining to C. pallida population stability and abundance, may have implications for further studies investigating C. pallida virulence. This study emphasizes the need for substantial knowledge of parasitic life-history before the functioning of host-parasitic relationships can be understood. When examining host-parasitic systems the underlying species specific context in which parasitism occurs needs to be considered.

Illustrated Inaugural Volume Table of Contents Chapter I: Suemoto dies steadfast, leaving behind a moral; A white dragon flies southward home, threading through the clouds¹ Chapter II: A gallant looses an arrow and kills a white horse; A craven usurps two districts and approaches the scarlet gate...

Hello? Mama? It’s me, Floyce. Me and Hank just got back from the courthouse. You won’t believe it. Something terrible has happened. They kept Harley. And it looks like my husband is dead. The police was just here and they took my husband out of here all covered up on a stretcher. They asked me and Hank all kinds of questions. And we have to go to the police station tomorrow morning because I got to sign some piece of paper. But, Mama, we didn’t even know Medwin was dead. After the trial we drove home like that with him sitting up in the front seat, kind of all slumped over but still sitting up. And I could’ve sworn he was just sleeping. And you know, sometimes I have trouble waking him up. He just won’t wake up. And I thought this was just another one of them times. ’Cause Medwin was messing up! You know, I told you before that Medwin had been abusing his medication lately, and it wasn’t the first time he had passed out and come back hours later. So, that’s why we thought he was passed out again. But he had to have died while we were in the courthouse. Can you imagine that? Sitting out there in that hot car all that time in this Chicago heat just ’cause he didn’t want to see Vernon. And August in Chicago, as you know, is hell. He wouldn’t even come in to Harley’s trial. But I guess he didn’t have any love to lose on Harley or Hank, for that matter, the way they treated that poor man. It was like Medwin and Hank had never been friends. And you remember it was Hank who introduced me to Medwin while they were in recovery in the VA hospital. When was that? Already nearly ten years ago. My, how time flies. And you know, Hank brought Medwin home with him, playing on my sympathy, with all this mess about the poor man didn’t have no place to live. Hank kept saying did we want to see his friend, Medwin, homeless, out in the streets? And knowing I had a sympathetic heart! So, there was Medwin staying with us. Hank’s friend, but a man almost my own age! And, you know, you remember, at first it was all right because it was just Hank and Medwin being friends and sitting around in the front room, watching television all day, and taking their medication and drinking beer. But when Medwin come justa noticing me and everything, reaching out and touching me when I walked by, no, boy, no way, Hank didn’t go for that. Not with his mother! Not his friend ...

Abstract Several species of birds have been known to invert in flight to lose altitude — a behavior known as whiffling. When the bird flies inverted, the flight feathers twist open to create gaps in the trailing edge of the wing, decreasing the lift produced by the wing. Gaps along the trailing edge of an aircraft wing were inspired by the feather rotation mechanism during whiffling, and asymmetrically applying these gaps on only one side of the wing produces a rolling moment due to the lift differential across the full wing. Previous experimental data and analytical estimates showed that whiffling-inspired gapped wings can produce a larger rolling moment coefficient than a conventional aileron, for a fraction of the actuation work. In the current work, we perform a computational study using Siemens STAR-CCM+ to estimate the work required to actuate nine gaps along the trailing edge of a whiffling-inspired wing and compare it to that of a representative aileron configuration. We show that the results of the simulation agree well with the prior experimental results. The results indicated that the work on the entire gap area may be higher than the work to deflect an aileron, however, the analytically estimated work on a smaller, more realistic, area corresponding to a gap cover was substantially lower than the work to deflect an aileron. These results provide evidence that sliding gaps that open in the plane of a wing require less work than deflecting an aileron into the flow for rolling moment coefficients above 0.0139. This computational validation is the first step in determining if smart materials can be used for this type of wing morphing. In all, the whiffling-inspired gapped wings could provide a far more energy-efficient method of roll control for energy-constrained fixed-wing uncrewed aerial vehicles than conventional ailerons, particularly at higher rolling moment coefficients.