Oviposition Attractants for Four Species of Mosquitoes in Natural Breeding Waters

Publisher： Entomological Society of America

ISSN： 1938-2901

Source： Annals of the Entomological Society of America, Vol.63, Iss.5, 1970-09, pp. : 1322-1327

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Abstract

The mosquitoes studied were Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus Say, C. tarsalis Coquillett, Aedes nigromaculis (Ludlow), and A. taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann). Oviposition attractants for each species were extracted with diethyl ether from the distillate of the water in which each species was breeding or supposed to breed. Two milliliters of the extracted concentrated attractants were prepared for each species from 100 or 120 liters of the breeding waters. Bioassays of oviposition attractants, from 4 distinct types of breeding sources, with the 4 species of mosquitoes were run in the laboratory. Oviposition attractants for C. tarsalis, A. nigromaculis, and A. taeniorhynchus were found, for the first time, to exist in their natural breeding waters. C. tarsalis oviposition attractants were 4.3 times as attractive as distilled water to this species at dosages of 50 and 5 liters of the concentrate. A. nigromaculis attractants were 4.3 and 8.5 times as attractive as distilled water at dosages of 50 and 5 liters, respectively. A. taeniorhynchus attractants stimulated 100% oviposition by this species at a 50-liter dosage as compared with distilled water. The attractants for C. p. quinquefasciatus yielded attractiveness ratios of 4.7 and 2.8 at 50 and 5 liters, respectively. Oviposition attractants for C. tarsalis, A. nigromaculis, and A. taeniorhynchus were, however, not markedly attractive to the other species of mosquitoes and showed repellency in some cases. There was an exception to this observation in that A. nigromaculis attractants were attractive to C. tarsalis at the 5-liter dosage. C. p. quinquefasciatus was attracted to the attractants of all 4 species and was found to be nonspecific in its response to the various oviposition attractants. Based on the worldwide distribution of this species, this broad range of response is to be expected.