Abstract
Oviposition site selection is an important aspect of the behavioural ecology of insects. A comparison of the habitats used by a species enhances our understanding of their adaptation to altered environments. We collected data on the oviposition behaviours of Gasterophilus pecorum (Diptera: Gasterophilidae) in its habitat in Kalamaili Nature Reserve (KNR), Xinjiang, China between March and October 2014. We found 91 quadrats were used by G. pecorum for oviposition. Examining 13 ecological factors using the t-test, chi-square test, and principal component analysis showed that G. pecorum’s oviposition habitat was preferentially on slopes with inclinations of 10–30° that were semi-sunny, semi-cloudy slopes, in positions high or low on the slopes, with preferences for total plants lower than 10% and Stipa capillata coverage lower than 10% on the low slopes, but Ceratoides latens coverage on the high and intermediate slopes, when the numbers of plant species and families were lower than five. G. pecorum often selected sites at a distance < 2000 m from a water source and average altitude 900–1000 m. The oviposition site selection by G. pecorum may be correlated with the behaviour of Przewalski’s horses (Equus ferus przewalskii), and water and food resources may strongly influence oviposition site selection, as Przewalski’s horses rest and forage in these areas.
Highlights
Horses and other equines are hosts to the larvae of the Gasterophilus species causing gastrointestinal myiasis [23].They are prone to Gasterophilus infections because the pastures where they graze are contaminated with infective stages of Gasterophilus, resulting in continuous infestation and re-infestation
Przewalski’s horse, which was listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2011, was once distributed widely in the Eurasian desert steppe; it became extinct in the wild in the middle of the last century
Most oviposition sites (66/91) were found within 20 m of the nearest path used by equids
Summary
Horses and other equines are hosts to the larvae of the Gasterophilus species causing gastrointestinal myiasis [23]. Gasterophilus pecorum is the dominant botfly species and aggressively attacks horses in the KNR and accounts for the vast majority of all parasites infecting them [28, 30, 34]. KNR and Tashikuergannature reserve in Xinjiang with desert plateau characteristics are typical of similar kinds of areas in China and elsewhere in the world This position was the ancient ecological corridor for the Eurasian continent and is the ancestral home of Przewalski’s horses. Some studies have examined the specific location of oviposition in Gasterophilus [15, 41] These results did not include G. pecorum and did not describe the egg position and habitat features in detail, especially the specific geographical environment in China’s. This study first examined G. pecorum oviposition habitat selection, and compared it with wild horse habitat selection and behaviour, to identify why G. pecorum has become the dominant botfly species
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