Population Abundance of Flies Collected in Different Traps in Small Ruminants in Ladang Pasir Akar, Besut, Terengganu

Flies are common ectoparasites to livestock. Some species of flies are important to small ruminants because they can spread disease and cause disturbance to animals, thus lowering their productivity. Considering the impact of flies to the productivity of small ruminants, it is important to identify the species of flies that occur in an area for early control actions. The study was aimed to determine the species of flies in Diptera family that occur in Ladang UniSZA Pasir Akar and their population abundance. The flies were collected using three types of traps: Malaise trap, yellow pan trap and yellow sticky trap for three consecutive weeks. The traps were set up in three different locations in small ruminants rearing area in the farm. Nine Diptera families significant to livestock were identified: Calliphoridae, Ceratopogonidae, Culicidae, Muscidae, Psychodidae, Rhiniidae, Sarcophagidae, Simuliidae and Tabanidae. The family Sarcophagidae recorded the highest abundance in the farm (26.57%), while the lowest of flies count was from the family Tabanidae (0.82%). The most diverse family of Diptera was collected by Malaise trap and the lowest diversity was recorded from yellow pan trap. The results from this study had provided the first insight of the flies important to small ruminants occurred in this farm.