Rubidium in female Culicoides variipennis sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) after engorgement on a...

A rabbit given an intraperitoneal injection of 500 mg/kg of rubidium chloride retained elevated blood levels of Rb+ for at least 30 d with no overt effects. All Culicoides variipennis sonorensis (Wirth & Jones) females that fed on the rabbit 1, 4, 7, and 14 d after injection were marked with Rb+ when engorged (day 1), and 95% were marked when gravid (day 3). At 7 d, 79% of flies were marked, and 16% exhibited elevated levels after 14 d. Eggs laid 3-4 d after feeding contained elevated Rb+ levels, and the rapid decline in Rb+ content in females was associated with metabolism of the blood meal and oviposition.