First colony of Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae) successfully established under laboratory conditions in Argentina.

The stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae), are blood-sucking insects that represent a serious problem not only because of their hematophagy and transmission of pathogens, but also because of their considerable economic impact In animal production. No colony of these Insects- exists in Argentina. The objectives of this work were to establish the first Stomoxys calcitrans colony in this country, and to standardize and report the duration of each stage under controlled laboratory conditions. The adult flies were successfully reared in a growth chamber (28 ± 1 °C and 47 ± 1 %RH, under a 14 h light: 10 h dark photoperiod); whereas the immature stages were kept at 25 ± 2 °C and natural light. The cycle from eggs to adult emergence lasted 16.75 ± 2.9 days. The developmentTime required to reach a new stage was: 2.0 ± 0.8, 6.75 ± 1.3 and 7.75 ± 1.7 days for eggs, larvae and pupae, respectively. Adult flies lived 16.5 ± 1.91 days. The preoviposltion period lasted 5 ± 0.8 days. The larval and pupal survivals were 93.28% and 70.25%, respectively. These results could be used as a reference for other colonies that may be established in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]