Oviposition and larval habitat preferences of the saltwater mosquito, Aedes vigilax, in a subtropical mangrove forest in Queensland, Australia
1Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia, 4111
2School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland St. Lucia, Queensland,
Australia, 4072
3Environmental Futures Centre, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia,
4111
Abstract
Our aim was to investigate the oviposition and larval habitats of the saltwater mosquito Aedes vigilax (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) in a mangrove forest system in subtropical Queensland, Australia. Eggshells (indicators of oviposition) and larvae were sampled in three habitat classes that were depicted in a schematic model. Two classes were in depressions or basins, either with hummocks or dense pneumatophore substrates, both of which retained water after tidal flooding. The third class was in freely flushed mangroves that corresponded with more frequent tidal connections than the depression classes. ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer tests were used to analyze the data. The null hypotheses were rejected: the hummock class was a significant habitat based on both eggshell and larval data. The conclusion was that mosquito production in the mangrove system was distributed unevenly between habitat classes, and that the hummock class had conditions suited to the requirements of the immature stages of Ae. vigilax. This research has the potential to inform mosquito management strategies by focusing treatment on the problem habitats and underpinning habitat modifications including reducing water retention in the basins.
Keywords: basin forest, Coombabah Lake, depression, eggshell density, environmental characteristics, intertidal wetlands
Correspondence:
a j.knight@griffith.edu.au,
b lachlan.griffin@griffith.edu.au,
c p.dale@griffith.edu.au,
d s.phinn@uq.edu.au, *Corresponding author
Editor: Thomas Scott was Editor of this paper.
Received: 8 March 2011 | Accepted: 14 June 2011 | Published: 24 January 2012
Copyright: This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.
ISSN: 1536-2442 | Volume 12, Number 6
Knight J, Griffin L, Dale P, Phinn S. 2012. Oviposition and larval habitat preferences of the saltwater mosquito, Aedes vigilax, in a subtropical mangrove forest in Queensland, Australia. Journal of Insect Science 12:6 available online: insectscience.org/12.6
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