Distribution of larval horse flies and deer flies (Diptera : Tabanidae) of a New Jersey salt marsh
Rockel, E.G.; Hansens, E.J.
Annals of the Entomological Society of America 63(3): 681-684
1970
ISSN/ISBN: 0013-8746 DOI: 10.1093/aesa/63.3.681
Accession: 014423186
The following is substantially the authors' abstract. A tidal marsh with drainage ditches in New Jersey contained a variety of microhabitats that influenced the distribution of Tabanid larvae. Population levels of larvae of Tabanus nigrovittatus Macq. and Chrysops spp. were highest below mean high-water level on gently sloping banks where cord grass (Spartina alterniflora) was about 2 ft tall. T. lineola F. and an unidentified species of Tabanus occurred mostly at higher soil elevations where short marsh grasses grew. Evidence strongly indicates that females oviposit primarily on vegetation of a certain height, and this choice of site influences resulting larval distribution.