Development and survival of larvae of Boophilus microplus in Pucallpa, Peru

© 1999 Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. All rights reserved. No published information is available conceming duration of the non-parasitic development in B. microplus for the cattle producing areas of Pucallpa. In the present study, the length of preovoposition, ovoposition, incubation, and larval survival phases of B. microplus under the tropical conditions (26°C and 2000 mm rainfall annual averages) characteristic of this region was determined utilizing two different methods. In the first, five recently collected teleogines were placed in five glass tubes (3 cm diamerer by 8 cm long with nylon mesh covering the open ends) on the first day of each month, while in the second a single teleogine was placed on a 0.0225 m2 rnícroplot of natural pasture also on the first day of each month throughout a one year period. The average length in days for each of the non-parasitic phases was as follows: preovoposition 2 to 5 in both tubes and rnícroplots; ovoposition 13 to 22 (observed in the tubes only); incubation 23 to 33 in tubes, and 24 to 32 in microplots; 53 to 96 for larval survival in tubes, and 36 to 100 days in microplots. The observed variation in tirníng related to variations in temperature and rainfall throughout the year. The observed maximum vital capacity (MVC) was 138 days. In order to erradicate B. microplus, pasture fallow periods should exceed the MVC.