Life history traits ofAedes caspius(Diptera: Culicidae): a laboratory study of larval stages

Abstract

The larval survival and development times of Aedes caspius (Diptera: Culicidae) were examined in the laboratory. These life history traits were estimated using life tables constructed for two populations, one of which had been subjected to a long-term larvicide control program. Traits were evaluated for eight different population densities. The effects of population, larval stage and larval density were investigated using a general linear model. Density was positively correlated with larval survival but did not affect development time. The fourth instar and pupae had the lowest larval survival rates. First and fourth instar larvae had the longest development times. These traits were not significantly different between the two populations. The effect of larvicide control on these traits is discussed.

Life table estimates for two common Aedes mosquito species: observations from larval habitats of Kolkata, India

“…Developmental times and survival rates of different life stages are most important in this respect. The life table serves as an important supplementary tool in framing mosquito control strategies, as it provides detailed analytical information about mortality, survival and life expectancy (Afrane et al 2007;Carron et al 2008;Hugo et al 2014). Among the life table features, mortality between eggs and larval instars bears importance in reflecting the population build-up of both A. aegypti (Southwood et al 1972;Service 1983;Focks et al 1993a, b) and A. albopictus (Hashim et al 2008).…”