Identification of Chemicals Associated Gambusia affinis (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae), and Their Effect on Oviposition Behavior of Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Laboratory.

The western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis (Baird & Girard), has been used worldwide for the control of larval mosquitoes for more than 100 yr. We found that the western encephalitis mosquito, Culex tarsalis Coquillett (Diptera: Culicidae), can detect the presence of G. affinis in oviposition sites based on associated chemicals, leading to a decrease in the number of egg rafts laid.

Evaluation of Two Management Strategies for Harvested Emergent Vegetation on Immature Mosquito Abundance and Water Quality.

Emergent macrophytes play critical roles in water treatment processes of free-water surface constructed treatment wetlands. Management strategies for plant biomass affect wetland function and mosquito populations. Sinking of harvested macrophyte biomass is thought to provide organic carbon that enhances denitrifying bacteria important for nutrient removal while concomitantly reducing harborage for mosquitoes.

Oviposition Behavior of Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae) Responding to Semiochemicals Associated with the Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis (Cyprinodontiformes: Poecilliidae).

Considerable previous research has focused on predator-associated semiochemicals and how they affect mosquito oviposition behavior. However, most of this work has been done without taking into consideration either the natural density of the predators or how other semiochemicals in aquatic environments might affect the responses of gravid mosquitoes. The influence of mosquitofish density, source water (tap vs pond), presence of freshly laid egg rafts, and removal of a putative source of semiochemicals (bacteria) on oviposition by Culex tarsalis Coquillett (Diptera: Culicidae) was studied in laboratory bioassays.

Evaluation of Two Entomopathogenic Fungi for Control of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Underground Storm Drains in the Coachella Valley, California, United States.

Commercially available formulations of two entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill.

Effects of a larval mosquito biopesticide and Culex larvae on a freshwater nanophytoplankton (Selenastrum capricornatum) under axenic conditions.

The effects of microbial biopesticides used for mosquito control on autotrophic microorganisms such as nanophytoplankton are equivocal. We examined impacts of mosquito biopesticides and mosquito larvae on primary producers in two independent experiments. In the first experiment, we examined the effects of a commonly used microbial biopesticide formulation (VectoMax CG) on a unicellular microalga, Selenastrum capricornatum Printz, under axenic laboratory conditions.

Large-Volume Gravid Traps Enhance Collection of Culex Vectors.

Gravid mosquito collections were compared among several large-volume (infusion volume ≥35 liters) gravid trap designs and the small-volume (infusion volume  =  6 liters) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gravid trap used routinely by vector control districts for vector and pathogen surveillance. The numbers of gravid Culex quinquefasciatus, Cx. tarsalis, and Cx.

Oviposition of Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae) Differs on Water Conditioned by Potential Fish and Insect Predators.

The response of egg-laying Culex tarsalis Coquillett (Diptera: Culicidae) to water conditioned by three fish species used for mosquito control and three predatory aquatic insect species was examined in laboratory binary choice experiments. Oviposition by Cx. tarsalis was 72% less on water conditioned with the arroyo chub, Gila orcutti (Eigenmann & Eigenmann) (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) relative to control cups containing aged tap water, but no significant difference was found in the numbers of egg rafts laid on water conditioned with the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas (Rafinesque), Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) and the control treatment (water aged 24 h).

Suitability of monotypic and mixed diets for Anopheles hermsi larval development.

The developmental time and survival to eclosion of Anopheles hermsi Barr & Guptavanij fed monotypic and mixed diets of ten food types were examined in laboratory studies. Larvae fed monotypic diets containing animal detritus (freeze-dried rotifers, freeze-dried Daphnia pulicaria, and TetraMin® fish food flakes) and the mixotrophic protistan Cryptomonas ovata developed faster and survived better than larvae that were fed other monotypic diets. Survival to adulthood of larvae fed several concentrations of the diatom Planothidium (=Achnanthes) lanceolatum was poor (<13%) and larval development time was approximately twice that of larvae fed TetraMin® fish food flakes, the standard laboratory diet.

Culex quinquefasciatus larval microbiomes vary with instar and exposure to common wastewater contaminants.

Like many insects, mosquitoes, rely on endosymbionts to grow and develop. These can be acquired from the environment. We used next generation 454 pyrosequencing to discern the whole-body microbiome of the mosquito species Culex quinquefasciatus in various larval stadia and following exposure to common pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) found in wastewater.

Evolution of Resistance in Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) Selected With a Recombinant Bacillus thuringiensis Strain-Producing Cyt1Aa and Cry11Ba, and the Binary Toxin, Bin, From Lysinibacillus sphaericus.

Fourth instars of Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera: Culicidae) were selected with a recombinant bacterial strain synthesizing the mosquitocidal proteins from Lysinibacillus sphaericus (Bin) and Cry11Ba and Cyt1Aa from Bacillus thuringiensis. Selection was initiated in Generation 1 with a concentration of 0.04 μg/ml, which rose to a maximum selection concentration of 8.

Developmental succession of the microbiome of Culex mosquitoes.

Background: The native microflora associated with mosquitoes have important roles in mosquito development and vector competence. Sequencing of bacterial V3 region from 16S rRNA genes across the developmental stages of Culex mosquitoes (early and late larval instars, pupae and adults) was used to test the hypothesis that bacteria found in the larval stage of Culex are transstadially transmitted to the adult stage, and to compare the microbiomes of field-collected versus laboratory-reared mosquitoes.

Results: Beta diversity analysis revealed that bacterial community structure differed among three life stages (larvae, pupae and adults) of Culex tarsalis.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products alter the holobiome and development of a medically important mosquito.

The increasing demand for fresh water has forced many countries to use reclaimed wastewater for agricultural purposes. This water contains pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) that remain biologically active following passage through wastewater treatment plants. Run-off from farms and contaminated water from treatment facilities exposes aquatic ecosystems to PPCPs.

Effects of nutrients on mosquitoes and an emergent macrophyte, Schoenoplectus maritimus, for use in treatment wetlands.

Schoenoplectus maritimus (alkali bulrush) has desirable attributes, such as a short growth habit (height of mature stands < 1.5 m) and annual senescence, for a potential alternative to tall (height > 3 m) emergent macrophytes in shallow constructed treatment wetlands treating ammonium-dominated wastewater. The effects of different ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) levels on alkali bulrush growth and its ability to take up nutrients from the wastewater, as well as on mosquito production, across the range of NH4-N found in constructed wetlands of southern California are unknown.

Small-stature emergent macrophytes and crepuscular sprinkler disturbance reduce mosquito abundance in wetland mesocosms.

The impact of emergent macrophyte species and crepuscular sprinkler disturbance on mosquito abundance over a 2-year period was measured in wetland mesocosms. Mosquito oviposition and abundance of immature mosquitoes and aquatic invertebrates were monitored in monotypic plots of small-stature (height of mature stands <1.5 m) alkali bulrush (Schoenoplectus maritimus) and large-stature (height of mature stands > 2 m) California bulrush (Schoenoplectus californicus) without or with daily sprinkler showers to deter mosquito egg laying.

Mtx toxins from Lysinibacillus sphaericus enhance mosquitocidal cry-toxin activity and suppress cry-resistance in Culex quinquefasciatus.

The interaction of Mtx toxins from Lysinibacillus sphaericus (formerly Bacillus sphaericus) with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis Cry toxins and the influence of such interactions on Cry-resistance were evaluated in susceptible and Cry-resistant Culex quinquefasciatus larvae. Mtx-1 and Mtx-2 were observed to be active against both susceptible and resistant mosquitoes; however varying levels of cross-resistance toward Mtx toxins were observed in the resistant mosquitoes.

Bacterial communities associated with culex mosquito larvae and two emergent aquatic plants of bioremediation importance.

Microbes are important for mosquito nutrition, growth, reproduction and control. In this study, we examined bacterial communities associated with larval mosquitoes and their habitats. Specifically, we characterized bacterial communities associated with late larval instars of the western encephalitis mosquito (Culextarsalis), the submerged portions of two emergent macrophytes (California bulrush, Schoenoplectuscalifornicus and alkali bulrush, Schoenoplectusmaritimus), and the associated water columns to investigate potential differential use of resources by mosquitoes in different wetland habitats.

Tolerance to individual and joint effects of arsenic and Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis or Lysinibacillus sphaericus in Culex mosquitoes.

Arsenic contamination of global water supplies has come to the forefront in policy decisions in recent decades. However, the effects of arsenic on lower trophic levels of insects inhabiting contaminated ecosystems are not well understood. One approach to document both acute and sublethal effects of toxicants like arsenic is to assay them in combination with microbial pathogens to evaluate shifts in survival curves of the test organisms.

Trophic Transfer of Arsenic from an Aquatic Insect to Terrestrial Insect Predators.

The movement of energy and nutrients from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems can be substantial, and emergent aquatic insects can serve as biovectors not only for nutrients, but also for contaminants present in the aquatic environment. The terrestrial predators Tenodera aridifolia sinensis (Mantodea: Mantidae) and Tidarren haemorrhoidale (Araneae: Theridiidae) and the aquatic predator Buenoa scimitra (Hemiptera: Notonectidae) were chosen to evaluate the efficacy of arsenic transfer between aquatic and terrestrial environments. Culex tarsalis larvae were reared in either control water or water containing 1000 µg l(-1) arsenic.

Micro x-ray absorption spectroscopic analysis of arsenic localization and biotransformation in Chironomus riparius Meigen (Diptera: Chironomidae) and Culex tarsalis Coquillett (Culicidae).

The distribution and speciation of arsenic (As) were analyzed in individuals of various life stages of a midge, Chironomus riparius, and the mosquito Culex tarsalis exposed to 1000 μg/l arsenate. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) revealed that C. riparius larvae accumulate As in their midgut, with inorganic arsenate [As(V)] being the predominant form, followed by arsenite [As(III)] and an As-thiol.

Distribution of Culex species in vegetation bands of a constructed wetland undergoing integrated mosquito management.

The distribution and abundance of emerging Culex spp. were assessed within narrow (width: 3 m) and wide (width: 20 m) bands of California bulrush (Schoenoplectus californicus) and in the open water adjacent to emergent vegetation in 2 marshes of an ammonia-dominated wastewater treatment wetland in southern California. Emerging mosquitoes were collected along transects perpendicular to the path of water flow at 3 distances (1.

North American wetlands and mosquito control.

Wetlands are valuable habitats that provide important social, economic, and ecological services such as flood control, water quality improvement, carbon sequestration, pollutant removal, and primary/secondary production export to terrestrial and aquatic food chains. There is disagreement about the need for mosquito control in wetlands and about the techniques utilized for mosquito abatement and their impacts upon wetlands ecosystems. Mosquito control in wetlands is a complex issue influenced by numerous factors, including many hard to quantify elements such as human perceptions, cultural predispositions, and political climate.

Inheritance, stability, and dominance of cry resistance in Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) selected with the three cry toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis.

Mendelian crosses were used to study the mode of inheritance of Cry toxin resistance in a Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae) colony (CqAB11A) that evolved insecticide resistance under laboratory selection with a deletion mutant of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis de Barjac lacking the Cyt1Aa toxin component but containing its three major Cry toxins, Cry4Aa, Cry4Ba, and Cry11Aa. High levels of resistance were observed to Cry toxins.

Seasonal occurrence of black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in a desert stream receiving trout farm effluent.

The distribution and abundance of black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in a small desert stream were influenced by environmental changes caused by recharge of water supply storage basins and an aquaculture operation. Simulium virgatum was the most abundant benthic insect collected in Whitewater Canyon (Riverside County, CA) after April; however, it was never found in trout farm effluent where the ammonium-nitrogen concentration was > 0.25 mg/liter.

Inheritance patterns, dominance, stability, and allelism of insecticide resistance and cross-resistance in two colonies of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) selected with cry toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp, israelensis.

Mendelian crosses were used to analyze the patterns of inheritance of Cry-toxin resistance in two colonies of Culex quinquefasciatus Say larvae resistant to bacterial toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis de Barjac. Resistance levels exceeded 1000-fold at 95% lethal concentration of the CryllAa-resistant colony (Cq11A).