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Cohort studies on mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae living in the water‐filled floral bracts of Heliconia aurea (Zingiberales: Musaceae)
Author(s) -
SEIFERT RICHARD P.,
BARRERA R.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1981.tb00605.x
Subject(s) - bract , biology , instar , larva , botany , inflorescence , zoology
. 1. An experimental and observational study of the three species of mosquito larvae living in the water‐filled floral bracts of Heliconia aurea at Rancho Grande, Venezuela, was designed to determine if each mosquito species forms instar cohorts and excludes conspecifics of younger instars. This study was motivated by a statement of Maguire (1971) who suggested that mosquito larvae in Puerto Rican Heliconia inflorescences form instar cohorts and exclude younger mosquitoes from the floral bracts. 2. Field observations of naturally occurring populations of mosquito larvae from fifty‐three H.aurea inflorescences give no indication that cohorts are formed for Wyeomyia felicia and Culex bihaicolus . However, there is strong evidence that cohorts of Trichoprosopon digitatum occur. These cohorts are not structured by larval competition but by female preference of the youngest bracts as oviposition sites and by large T.digitatum larvae feeding on smaller con‐specifics. 3. Field experiments show that first instar W.felicia and C.bihaicolus survive as well over a 6 day period in the presence of third instar conspecifics as they do when all mosquito larvae in an experimental bract are first instars.