Why are A edes mosquitoes rare colonisers of N epenthes pitcher plants?

1. N epenthes pitcher plants produce fluid‐containing animal traps that are colonised by a variety of specialised arthropods, especially dipterans. However, container‐breeding vector mosquitoes, such as A edes albopictus Skuse have rarely been recorded from pitchers. Increasing overlap in the geographical ranges of N epenthes and A e. albopictus in urban parts of S outheast A sia owing to urbanisation highlights a growing need to investigate the potential role of pitchers as larval habitats for vector mosquitoes. 2. The ability of A e. albopictus larvae to survive in three common lowland N epenthes in P eninsular M alaysia that are most likely to co‐occur with Ae. albopictus [viz., N epenthes ampullaria Jack, N epenthes gracilis Korth., and N epenthes mirabilis (Lour.) Druce] was investigated. 3. The larval survival rates of Ae. albopictus in pitcher fluids of the three N epenthes species were determined, then the effects of low pH , larvicidal agents (such as microbes, predators, and chemical compounds) through manipulative experiments were investigated. 4. It was found that pitchers represent a hostile environment to Ae. albopictus , but that the principal cause of larval mortality varies among N epenthes species (i.e. low fluid pH in N. gracilis , predation by T oxorhynchites acaudatus Leicester larvae in N. ampullaria , and microbial activity in N. mirabilis ). It was concluded that N epenthes pitchers are generally not suitable larval habitats for Ae. albopictus . However, the pitcher environment of N. ampullaria is worthy of further study, as pitchers that lack predators are nevertheless rarely colonised by Ae. albopictus , indicating that other aspects of the host pitcher environment inhibit oviposition or larval survivorship.