AUTHOR=Chaiphongpachara Tanawat , Weluwanarak Thekhawet , Changbunjong Tanasak 

TITLE=Intraspecific variation in wing geometry among Tabanus rubidus (Diptera: Tabanidae) populations in Thailand

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.920755

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2022.920755

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Tabanus rubidus</italic> (Wiedemann, 1821) (Diptera: Tabanidae) is a hematophagous insect of veterinary and medical importance and is the predominant <italic>Tabanus</italic> spp. in Thailand. It is a potential mechanical vector of <italic>Trypanosoma evansi</italic>, which causes surra in domestic and wild animals. Wing geometric morphometrics is widely used as morphological markers for species identification and to assess the insect population structure. Herein, we investigated the intraspecific variation in wing geometry among <italic>T. rubidus</italic> populations in Thailand using landmark-based geometric morphometric analysis. <italic>Tabanus rubidus</italic> females were collected from five populations in four geographical regions in Thailand. The left wings of 240 specimens were removed and digitized using 22 landmarks for analysis. While wing size variations were found between some populations, wing shape variations were detected in all. These intraspecific variations in <italic>T. rubidus</italic> populations indicate an adaptive response to the local environmental conditions.</p>