English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Background  The departure of the mature larvae of the horse stomach bot fly from the host indicates the beginning of a new infection period.  Gasterophilus pecorum  is the dominant bot fly species in the desert steppe of the Kalamaili Nature Reserve (KNR) of northwest China as a result of its particular biological characteristics. The population dynamics of  G. pecorum  were studied to elucidate the population development of this species in the arid desert steppe.    Methods  Larvae in the freshly excreted feces of tracked Przewalski’s horses ( Equus przewalskii ) were collected and recorded. The larval pupation experiments were carried out under natural conditions.    Results  There was a positive correlation between the survival rate and the number of larvae expelled ( r  = 0.630,  p  < 0.01); the correlation indicated that the species had characteristic peaks of occurrence. The main periods during which mature larvae were expelled in the feces were from early April to early May (peak I) and from mid-August to early September (peak II); the larval population curve showed a sudden increase and gradual decrease at both peaks. Under the higher temperatures of peak II, the adults developing from the larvae had a higher survival rate, higher pupation rate, higher emergence rate and shorter eclosion period than those developing from peak I larvae. Although  G. pecorum  has only one generation per year, its occurrence peaked twice annually, i.e. the studied population has a bimodal distribution, which doubles parasitic pressure on the local host. This phenomenon is very rarely recorded in studies on insect life history, and especially in those on parasite epidemiology.    Conclusion  The period during which  G. pecorum  larvae are naturally expelled from the host exceeds 7 months in KNR, which indicates that there is potentially a long period during which hosts can become infected with this parasite. The phenomenon of two annual peaks of larvae expelled in feces is important as it provides one explanation for the high rate of equine myiasis in KNR.

The impact of temperature on the life cycle of Gasterophilus pecorum in northwest China