Colonisation of Glossina morsitans morsitans Westw. (Diptera, Glossinidae) in the laboratory using in vitro feeding techniques

Abstract

Fresh defibrinated bovine blood was superior to either haemolysed or freeze-dried defibrinated bovine blood when fed in vitro to female Glossina morsitans morsitans Westw. The presence of adenosine-5′-triphosphate (ATP) or other additives did not improve reproductive performance. The flies were able to compensate for considerable dilution of the blood with both serum and saline. Both parental and F1 female size affected the weight of the F2 puparia produced. The feeding of females on rabbits' ears on one day and in vitro on five days per week prevented any deterioration in performance over successive generations compared with a purely in vitro regime. A colony was established using this technique and results over a 13-month period were compared with those from a colony fed without rabbit supplement and another fed on rabbits only. The reproductive performance of females in the all-membrane-fed colony deteriorated from generation to generation, while those in the rabbit supplement colony performed similarly to those of the rabbit-fed colony except that survival was better but fecundity was poorer and the puparia produced were smaller.