Water deprivation and light affect responses of Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae) to oviposition site cues
1996
Isoe, J. | Millar, J.G.
Responses of blood-fed gravid Culex tarsalis Coquillett mosquitoes to visual and chemical cues associated with oviposition sites were affected by water deprivation but not by sugar deprivation. Gravid mosquitoes deprived of water for 24 h before bioassay were more responsive to oviposition cues and laid the majority of their egg rafts around dusk, whereas mosquitoes not deprived of water laid similar numbers of eggs around dusk and dawn. Ambient light levels also affected responses to oviposition cues, with mosquitoes using visual cues more under dim light than in full darkness. These results indicate that oviposition behavior is flexible, depending on the types of cues that are available. Oviposition behavior is mediated by physical, chemical, and biological cues, and our results suggest that in the absence of a particular cue, the entire suite of behaviors which culminate in oviposition may still be triggered by the remaining cues present.
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