Flight of sand flies from colonies of great gerbils
Artem ev, M.M.; Flërova, O.A.
Meditsinskaia Parazitologiia i Parazitarnye Bolezni 40(5): 552-556
1971
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-8326 PMID: 4257588 Document Number: 43818
The dispersal of sandflies from an inhabited colony of great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus) situated in sandy ridges was studied in the northern part of the Tedzhen district of the Turkmen SSR. The numbers of Phlebotomus papatasi Scop. taken in sticky traps declined from the centre of the colony to a sixth of its initial value at a distance of twenty m, then remained almost constant, owing to a part of the population living in small uninhabited burrows of different mammals under bushes. It was not possible to follow the flight of this species beyond this distance. The population density of Sergentomyia arpaklensis Perf. increased progressively with distance from the centre of the great gerbil colony, and it was evident from a study of the species composition of the captures that the small uninhabited burrows were the preferred habitat of S. arpaklensis, whereas P. papatasi preferred colonies of great gerbil.