Stomoxys Species Richness and Apparent Densities at Different Land-Use Setups in North-Eastern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

<i>Stomoxys</i> is a genus of blood-sucking dipteran flies from the family Muscidae with approximately 18 species reported globally. This study sought to identify and determine the apparent densities (ADs) and species richness of <i>Stomoxys</i> species occurring in three land-use setups, namely communal farming areas, commercial farms, and private game farms in the north-eastern part of KwaZulu-Natal Province (KZN), South Africa. Thirty-four H-traps were set up across 10 different localities over 30 days of sampling. A total of 1306 <i>Stomoxys</i> flies with an average of 1.28 flies/trap/day were captured, and six <i>Stomoxys</i> species were identified. <i>S. n. niger</i> was the most abundant species (82.3%), followed by <i>S. calcitrans</i> (13.1%), <i>S. taeniatus</i> (1.9%), <i>S. n. bilineatus</i> (0.84%), <i>S. sitiens</i> (1.1%), and <i>S. boueti</i> (0.7%) was the least collected. This study highlights the need to explore this genus further as it demonstrates that more than one species exists in north-eastern KZN. Furthermore, these flies co-exist with tsetse flies (<i>Glossina</i> spp.), meaning that vector control measures should incorporate all potential vectors of animal trypanosomosis and other vector-borne diseases that occur in the area.