Diurnal Activity of Gravid Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Toco, Trinidad

Authors

  • Patryk Tomaszkiewicz Texas A&M University
  • Adrienne Brundage

Abstract

Abstract: Mosquitoes pose a threat to human health due to a variety of arboviral diseases that they are able to transmit. Many of these diseases are vectored by Aedes aegypti and most are prevalent in many parts of South America and The Caribbean. Gravidity, diurnal activity, and the reproductive capabilities of Aedes aegypti are important to research because future generations of mosquitoes can be studied or eliminated in hopes of reducing future outbreaks of disease. New findings would help researchers obtain new ways of preventing future cases of disease, and would reduce the impact that this health-endangering mosquito has on local communities. A survey of the Jammev Beach Resort in Toco, Trinidad was conducted to determine what time of day had the highest concentration of gravid Aedes aegypti. In order to catch the mosquitoes, diaphoretic clothing was left in an open area. This clothing was used to lure the mosquitoes to the preselected location and sticky cards were used to efficiently catch the mosquitoes. This sweat-baiting method could be replicated and applied to future research in order to test its full potential. Results showed that gravid Aedes aegypti were found in higher concentrations at dawn and at high noon. It was also concluded that both gravidity and mosquito presence decreased as the day progressed. Lengthier studies with more effective trapping methods should be conducted during the wet season to fully understand the activity and reproductive capabilities of Aedes aegypti

Author Biography

Patryk Tomaszkiewicz, Texas A&M University

Undergraduate student at Texas A&M University.

Double major in Biomedical Science and Entomology

Minor in Public Health 

References

Marquardt, William C. and Barry J. Beaty. The Biology of Disease Vectors. Chicago Distribution Center [CDC Presses], 1996.

Christophers, S. R. Aedes Aegypti (L.), the Yellow Fever Mosquito ; Its Life History, Bionomics, and Structure. Cambridge [England] : University Press, 1960., 1960.

Clements, A. N. The Physiology of Mosquitoes. 1963. International series of monographs on pure and applied biology. Division: Zoology, v.17.

Darsie, Richard F. and Ronald A. Ward. Identification and Geographical Distribution of the Mosquitoes of North America, North of Mexico. Richard F. Darsie, Jr. And Ronald A. Ward ; with Illustrations by Chien C. Chang and Taina Litwak. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, [2005], 2005.

Harbach, Ralph E. and Kenneth L. Knight. Taxonomists' Glossary of Mosquito Anatomy. Ralph E. Harbach and Kenneth L. Knight. Marlton, N.J. : Published for the Biological Research Institute of American by Plexus, 1980., 1980.

Hartberg, W. K. "Observations on the Mating Behaviour of Aedes Aegypti in Nature.† Bulletin of the World Health Organization 45.6 (1971): 847—850.

Mullen, G. R. "Mosquitoes (Culicidae)." Medical and Veterinary Entomology. 2.nd ed. Burlington: Elsevier, 2009. Print.

Published

2022-01-27