Anopheles gambiae is arguably one of the most dangerous insects today due to its effectiveness as a vector of human malaria. It is widely believed that the females prefer to oviposit in water located on freshly disturbed soils. Chemicals volatilized from the disturbed soil could be an attractant for the female. Choice tests were performed using at least 20 gravid females in a 30 X 30 X 30 mesh cage with different soil types, and the treatments compared by counting the number of eggs per female per cage on the individual treatment. There was a significant difference between soil types with some being more attractive than others for egg deposition. The significance of the attraction diminishes with time if the soil is not continually disturbed. We hypothesize that there are specific volatile chemicals released from freshly disturbed soil that the females are able to detect and that these chemicals diminish in concentration over time. Information obtained on these factors influencing site selection for oviposition may assist in developing new control methods.
Species 1: Diptera Culicidae Anopheles gambiae (malaria mosquito)
Keywords: oviposition behavior
Back to Student Competition Display Presentations, Section D. Medical and Veterinary Entomology
Back to Student Competition Posters
Back to The 2003 ESA Annual Meeting and Exhibition