Abstract
Biting flies of the family Tabanidae are important vectors of human and animal diseases across continents. However, records of Africa tabanids are fragmentary and mostly cursory. To improve identification, documentation and description of Tabanidae in East Africa, a baseline survey for the identification and description of Tabanidae in three eastern African countries was conducted. Tabanids from various locations in Uganda (Wakiso District), Tanzania (Tarangire National Park) and Kenya (Shimba Hills National Reserve, Muhaka, Nguruman) were collected. In Uganda, octenol baited F-traps were used to target tabanids, while NG2G traps baited with cow urine and acetone were employed in Kenya and Tanzania. The tabanids were identified using morphological and molecular methods. Morphologically, five genera (Ancala, Tabanus, Atylotus, Chrysops and Haematopota) and fourteen species of the Tabanidae were identified. Among the 14 species identified, six belonged to the genus Tabanus of which two (T. donaldsoni and T. guineensis) had not been described before in East Africa. The greatest diversity of tabanid species were collected from the Shimba Hills National Reserve, while collections from Uganda (around the shores of Lake Victoria) had the fewest number of species. However, the Ancala genus was found in Uganda, but not in Kenya or Tanzania. Maximum likelihood phylogenies of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI) genes sequenced in this study show definite concordance with morphological species identifications, except for Atylotus. This survey will be critical to building a complete checklist of Tabanidae prevalent in the region, expanding knowledge of these important vectors of human and animal diseases.
Highlights
Biting flies of the family Tabanidae (Order Diptera) are of both medical and veterinary importance because the females of most species are blood feeders that can transmit various pathogens to hosts as they feed on animals and humans (Foil 1989, Waage 1949)
Clusters within the maximum likelihood phylogeny of c oxidase 1 (COI) sequences (Fig. 2) corresponded closely with species’ identifications derived from morphological characters, except in the case of T. thoracinus, which formed two distinct clades designated as T. thoracinus A and T. thoracinus B (Fig. 2)
COI barcoding in the current study showed that T. gratus from Nguruman in Kenya differed from T. gratus collected from Tanzania
Summary
Biting flies of the family Tabanidae (Order Diptera) are of both medical and veterinary importance because the females of most species are blood feeders that can transmit various pathogens to hosts as they feed on animals and humans (Foil 1989, Waage 1949). Pathogens transmitted by Tabanidae include bacteria, protozoa, helminths and viruses (Foil 1989). Because of their stout mouthparts, tabanids inflict painful bites while feeding, which affects livestock production as the animals are distracted from feeding, resulting in reduced growth rates, weight gain, reduced milk production, and reduced drought resistance, among others. The genus Chrysops is reported to vector Francisella tularensis bacteria that cause tularemia in temperate regions, while in the tropics this genus is known to transmit the filarial nematode, Loa loa, in many sub-Saharan countries, including Uganda (Duke 1955). Effective control of diverse vectored diseases can be aided by accurate identification of tabanids in East Africa, which is crucial for monitoring their potential for invasion into naïve ecosystems and for vector control strategies
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