The ecology of the immature stages of Aedes detritus (Diptera: Culicidae).
Abstract
The following is substantially the author's summary. The ecology of the larval habitats of the salt-marsh mosquito Aedes detritus (Hal.) was studied on Brownsea Island in Dorset, south-western England. The principal oviposition sites were on exposed muddy areas and areas colonized by Spartina townsendii and Juncus maritimus that were subsequently flooded with standing water by the highest tides or precipitation. No relation was found between egg distribution and the chloride content or moisture content of the mud. The eggs did not all hatch at the first inundation, and they hatched at any time of the year. The salt-marsh water had a high ionic concentration. Neither its chloride content nor maximum temperatures were important to larval survival. The greatest mortality among the larval population was most probably caused by the repeated desiccation of the marsh in the summer. Fourth-instar larvae were found in January, but pupation was deferred until April. Population estimates of third- and fourth-instar larvae were obtained by a mark-recapture technique using a vital stain, and sampling showed that larvae and pupae tended to occur at the water's edge and were not randomly distributed in the marsh water.