Colonization and Biology of the Frog-Feeding Mosquito Uranotaeinia macfarlanei in the Ryukyu Archipelago

Abstract

A colony of Uranotaenia macfarlanei, a frog-feeding mosquito, was established in the laboratory. We report the bionomics of the species, as studied in the laboratory colony and in the field on Ryukyu Island, Japan. These include mating activity, feeding and resting habits, manner of oviposition, and egg, larval, and pupal periods.

Bloodmeal identification and feeding habits of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) collected at five islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan

“…Information on host-feeding patterns of mosquitoes in nature is an essential component for evaluating their vectorial capacities and for assessing the role of individual vertebrates as potential reservoir hosts involved in maintenance and amplification of zoonotic agents of human and animal diseases (Molaei et al, 2008;Miyagi et al, 2010). It is a well-known that mosquitoes obtain their bloodmeals from a wide variety of hosts.…”

Uranotaenia novobscura ryukyuana (Diptera: Culicidae) Population Dynamics are Denso-Dependent and Autonomous from Weather Fluctuations

“…A biweek sampling period was chosen to coincide with the larval developmental time of Uranotaenia spp. mosquitoes (Belkin and McDonald 1956;Chapman 1964Chapman , 1970Miyagi et al 2010) because such time span is desirable for discrete time population modeling purposes (Turchin 2003). Six oviposition traps were made using black plastic buckets (15 by 20 cm, 3.53 liters; Daiso Co., Hiroshima, Japan) Þlled with rain water (2.5 liters), and were placed on the ground near vegetation in a forest preserve, a farm, and a water reservoir shore, with two oviposition traps per site.…”

“…larvae have been primarily collected from stable permanent, that is, unlikely to dry, or semipermanent, that is, that become dry with a low probability, aquatic habitats (Hinman 1935), which include crab holes (Mogi et al 1984), treeholes, bamboo stumps (Sota et al 1994), leaf axils, pitcher plants and artiÞcial containers (Toma and Miyagi 1981), and wetlands (Chambers et al 1979). Adults have been observed feeding predominantly on reptiles and amphibians (Miyagi et al 2010), a pattern conÞrmed by mosquito bloodmeal analysis (Fyodorova et al 2006, Hamer et al 2009, Tamashiro et al 2011. Species are gonotrophically concordant, with eggs oviposited in clutches that form ßoating rafts (Hinman 1935;Dampf 1943;Chapman 1964Chapman , 1970Miyagi et al 2010).…”

“…Adults have been observed feeding predominantly on reptiles and amphibians (Miyagi et al 2010), a pattern conÞrmed by mosquito bloodmeal analysis (Fyodorova et al 2006, Hamer et al 2009, Tamashiro et al 2011. Species are gonotrophically concordant, with eggs oviposited in clutches that form ßoating rafts (Hinman 1935;Dampf 1943;Chapman 1964Chapman , 1970Miyagi et al 2010). It has been widely recognized that Uranotaenia spp.…”

First Record of Avian Plasmodium DNA from Mosquitoes Collected in the Yaeyama Archipelago, Southwestern Border of Japan

“…Avian malaria DNA was only detected from one mosquito sample in Ishigaki Island; therefore, we analyzed additional mosquito samples that were collected in Iriomote Island (24.17'N, 123.51'E), which also geographically belongs to the Yaeyama Archipelago of Japan ( Fig. 1), to investigate the distribution of ectothermic animal-biting mosquito species by using blacklight traps and CDC traps equipped with a portable CD player playing frog calls [9,19], from April 3 to 7, 2008.…”