Calliphorid fly (Diptera, Calliphoridae) attraction to different colored traps in the Tingua Biological Reserve, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• Published in: Iheringia. Série Zoologia 2009-12, Vol.99 (4), p.426-430
• Main Authors: Mello, Renata S, Queiroz, Margareth M. C, Nunes-Freitas, André F, Aguiar-Coelho, Valéria M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ZOOLOGY
• ISSN: 0073-4721; 1678-4766; 0073-4721
• DOI: 10.1590/S0073-47212009000400013

The present study intended to analyze calliphorid attraction to traps painted in a variety of colors and the calliphorid constancy index in the Tingua Biological Reserve, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The Diptera were collected monthly in the Reserve, between 2002 and 2005, totaling 24 samplings. Four traps containing sardines as bait were painted olive green, blood red, black, or white and exposed for 48 h at four equidistant points, 50 m from each other. To determine the calliphorid species constancy, the Bodenheirmer constancy index was used throughout the study. To analyze differences in the total abundance between species and in their color selection, an ANCOVA test with a significance level of 5 % and a Tukey post-test were used, considering the categories species and color as cofactors and climatic variables as co-variables (temperature, relative humidity and precipitation), since the samples were collected over two years. 10,444 insects were captured. Of these, 56 % belonged to the Calliphoridae family, totaling 13 species, with the most frequent species being Laneela nigripes (28.5 %), Hemilucilia semidiaphana (17 %), and Mesembrinella sp. (16.4 %). The other species had frequencies lower than 12 %. Nine species were considered constant, two accessories, and two accidental. The data indicated that the most frequent species presented significant differences between themselves concerning abundance over the captured months, however, the Tukey post-test indicated differences only between a few of them. The black trap presented the higher relative calliphorid frequency (27.34 %), followed by green (25 %), red (24.0 %), and white (23.7 %), although the species abundance in the different colored traps did not differ significantly among themselves. Therefore, there was no Calliphorid flies preference for any of the tested colors. O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar a atração de califorídeos por armadilhas pintadas com diferentes cores de tinta e calcular o índice de constância destas moscas na Reserva Biológica do Tinguá, Rio de Janeiro. Os dípteros foram coletados mensalmente na Reserva entre 2002 e 2005, totalizando 24 amostras. Quatro armadilhas contendo sardinha como isca foram pintadas com tinta nas cores verde (oliva), vermelho (sangue), preto e branco e foram expostas por 48h em quatro pontos equidistantes distanciadas 50 metros entre si. Para determinar a constância das espécies de califorídeos, o índice de constância Bodenheirmer foi ut