STRUCTURE OF BLOOD-SUCKING HORSE-FLY FAUNA IN AGROECOSYSTEMS OF THE CENTRAL NON-BLACK EARTH ZONE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Abstract

The aim of our work is to study structural changes in the species composition of\nblood-sucking dipterans in various biotopes of agrocenoses. It is established that the structure of the fauna of the blood-sucking Tabanidae is determined by abiotic (moisture, illumination, available shelters) and biotic (concentration of feeders) factors. One of the most important environmental factors that attract horseflies to agrocenoses is high density of farm animals that feed these insects. On lowland pastures, due to sufficient moisture, high light intensity and sun warming, conditions are favorable for habitation of adult horseflies. The ecological conditions of the adult horseflies habitation on dry pastures due to greater dryness, strong sun warming, lack of shelter and strong wind negatively affect the total number of horseflies. The ecological conditions of the adult horseflies habitation in the by-farm territories are less favorable. There is a tendency to reduction of the share of taiga species in the zoogeographic structure of the horsefly fauna (from 9 to 6 species over the past 10 years) and forest-steppe faunal complex (from 7 to 6 species). At the same time, the total average number of female horseflies attacking animals in various biotopes of agrocenoses of the central Non-Black Earth Zone has remained almost unchanged.