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Moonlight and the biting activity of Culex (Melanoconion) portesi Senevet & Abonnenc and C. (M.) taeniopus D. & K. (Diptera, Culicidae) in Trinidad forests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

John B. Davies
John B. Davies
Affiliation:
External Scientific Staff, United Kingdom Medical Research Council, Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory, University of the West Indies, P.O. Box 164, Port of Spain, Trinidad, West Indies
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Abstract

The biting activity of Culex (Melanoconion) portesi Senevet & Abonnenc and C. (M.) taeniopus D. & K. in a secondary seasonal marsh forest in Trinidad was studied by means of catches by six mouse-baited suction traps, and a single light-trap. The traps were cleared at hourly intervals between 17.00 h and 07.00 h on nights which approximated to the new, first quarter, full and last quarter phases of the moon. The catches were compared with illumination at canopy and ground level which was estimated by selenium photocells whose output was recorded on the continuous chart of a servo-potentiometer. Humidity, rainfall, temperature and cloud cover were also recorded. In the suction traps both species showed peaks of activity at evening and dawn twilight at new moon, although the dawn peak was not very pronounced with C. taeniopus, but this pattern was modified on other nights in a manner which was consistent with moon age. At full moon the evening and dawn peaks were replaced by increased activity during moonrise and the middle of the night. The light-traps failed to show the evening and dawn activity and did not always duplicate the baited traps during darkness. Two hypotheses based on either a permissive range of illumination or an underlying circadian rhythm are discussed; neither fully explains the observed biting activity. Although an association between moonlight and biting activity does exist, an understanding of its nature will require more experimental data.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 65 , Issue 1 , March 1975 , pp. 81 - 96
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1975

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