Does the Presence of Other Egg Rafts and Conspecific Larvae Encourage Oviposition by the Mosquito, Culex sitiens (Diptera: Culicidae)?

Abstract

Mosquitoes include many major disease vectors and are often controlled in their aquatic larval stage, since they are living in defined habitats. However, non-chemical methods of control are influenced by the female oviposition behavior, and this is affected by many factors. Many mosquito species choose to oviposit on water containing egg raft pheromones (which have thus been used in control), showing another female has selected that pool as being best. However, Culex sitiens did not respond chemically to water previously containing egg rafts, but unlike most species, did strongly respond visually to artificial black egg rafts floating on the surface. Oviposition increased as the number of artificial egg rafts increased up to six, but more rafts gave no further increase. However, even nine egg rafts had no repellent effect, despite the high probability of larval overcrowding and thus starvation. Altering the pattern with which five rafts were interconnected and also altering the size of individual rafts seemed to show that the mosquitoes were responding more to total raft area rather than number. The presence of either 2nd instar or 4th (final) instar conspecific larvae in the water can be detected chemically but did not influence oviposition, either positively or negatively. Conspecific larvae show the water is suitable for oviposition, but they are competitors for the available food and so many studies have shown especially older larvae to be repellent to oviposition. Culex sitiens was thus not responding chemically to either eggs or larvae but unusually had a visual response.