Ciclo biológico del tórsalo (Dermatobia hominis, L. Jr.) en Turrialba, Costa Rica

Abstract

An experimental study is reported on capture of vectors of D. hominis, in which it is revealed that Sarcopromusca arcuata is the most important vector in the area under study. Studies on pupation revealed that on dry soils, pupation is practically impossible. On wet soils the influence of shade, or type of soils did not affect length of pupal period. Depth of pupal chamber was 4.8 cms. on the average, but it was deeper in soils exposed to sunlight than those under shade. The length of pupal period was shorter for boxes placed at ground level than for boxes kept in shelves inside a building; it also varied with month in which larvae pupated, indicating a wide range of adjustment of this period to varying conditions. Life of D. hominis flies, batched under captivity, ranged from one to ten days. These flies, kept in captivity with domestic flies, oviposited in only 2% of the latter. The modal number of eggs found was 40–50 per vector fly.