Comparative Responses of Ovipositing Anopheles Gambiae and Culex Quinquefasciatus Females to the Presence of culexegg Rafts and Larvae
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Date
2010-11
Authors
Wachira, W.
Ndung’u, M.
Njagi, P.G.N.
Hassanali, A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Medical and Veterinary Entomology
Abstract
Field observations have demonstrated that gravidAnopheles gambiaeGiless.s. (Diptera: Culicidae) are selective in their choice of oviposition sites. Forexample, immature stages ofAn. gambiae s.s.are rarely found in water that containsCulex quinquefasciatusSay immatures. The possibility that this may, in part at least,reflect a response by ovipositingAn. gambiae s.s.females to volatile signals associatedwithCulexjuveniles was evaluated by testing the response ofAn. gambiae s.s.femalesto varying densities ofCx. quinquefasciatusegg rafts and/or larvae in ovipositionchoice assays. For comparison, the oviposition choices ofCx. quinquefasciatusto conspecific egg rafts and/or larvae were similarly assayed. At a low densityofCx. quinquefasciatusegg rafts (1–15 egg rafts/100 mL water),An. gambiae s.s.females laid more eggs in the treatment water than in the control, with a maximumof twice as many in the treatment water at 5 egg rafts/100 mL water. At higheregg raft densities and in all treatments that includedCx. quinquefasciatuslarvae,oviposition decreased significantly in the treatment dishes in a density-dependentmanner. As previous studies have indicated, ovipositingCx. quinquefasciatusfemaleswere attracted to and laid egg rafts in dishes containing conspecific egg rafts and,interestingly, also in dishes containing larvae.
Description
Article
Keywords
Anopheles gambiae s.s., Culex quinquefasciatus, attraction, avoidance, egg rafts, larvae, oviposition
Citation
Wachira, S. W., Ndung'u, M., Njagi, P. G. N., & Hassanali, A. (2010). Comparative responses of ovipositing Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus females to the presence of Culex egg rafts and larvae. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 24(4), 369-374.