Effects of temperature and larval diet on development rates and survival of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti in north Queensland, Australia

Immature development times, survival rates and adult size (wing‐lengths) of the mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) were studied in the laboratory at temperatures of 10–40°C. The duration of development from egg eclosion (hatching of the first instar) to adult was inversely related to temperature, ranging from 7.2 ± 0.2 days at 35°C to 39.7 ± 2.3 days at 15°C. The minimum temperature threshold for development (t) was determined as 8.3 ± 3.6°C and the thermal constant (K) was 181.2 ± 36.1 day‐degrees above the threshold. Maximum survival rates of 88–93% were obtained between 20 and 30°C. Wing‐length was inversely related to temperature. The sex ratio (♀:♂) was 1 : 1 at all temperatures tested (15, 20, 25 and 35°C) except 30°C (4 : 3).

[1]  A. Youdeowei.  Pest and Vector Management in the Tropics: With Particular Reference to Insects, Ticks, Mites and Snails , 1983 .

[2]  Andrew Paul Gutierrez,et al.  Temperature requirements of some aphids and their parasites , 1974 .

[3]  R. Stinner,et al.  Temperature-dependent development and survival rates of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). , 1990, Journal of medical entomology.

[4]  The regulation of preimaginal populations of Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) on the Kenya coast. II. Food as a main regulatory factor. , 1984, Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology.

[5]  T. J. Headlee.  Further Studies of the Relative Effects on Insect Metabolism of Temperatures Derived from Constant and Variable Sources , 1941 .

[6]  R. Tonn,et al.  Studies on the life budget of Aedes aegypti in Wat Samphaya, Bangkok, Thailand. , 1972, Bulletin of the World Health Organization.

[7]  S. Ritchie,et al.  Two contiguous outbreaks of dengue type 2 in north Queensland , 1998, The Medical journal of Australia.

[8]  M. Barzeev.  The Effect of Temperature on the Growth Rate and Survival of the immature Stages of Aëdes aegypti (L.). , 1958 .

[9]  P. Barbosa,et al.  Overcrowding of mosquito populations : responses of larval Aedes aegypti to stress. , 1972 .

[10]  P. Weinstein,et al.  Field epidemiology of an outbreak of dengue fever in Charters Towers, Queensland: are insect screens protective? , 1996, Australian and New Zealand journal of public health.

[11]  D. Focks,et al.  Dynamic life table model for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae): analysis of the literature and model development. , 1993, Journal of medical entomology.

[12]  Nasci Rs.  The size of emerging and host-seeking Aedes aegypti and the relation of size to blood-feeding success in the field. , 1986 .

[13]  J. Fielding.  Notes on the Bionomics of Slegomyia fasciata, Fabr. (Part I.). , 1919 .

[14]  R. Nasci.  The size of emerging and host-seeking Aedes aegypti and the relation of size to blood-feeding success in the field. , 1986, Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association.

[15]  B. Kay,et al.  Understanding productivity, a key to Aedes aegypti surveillance. , 1995, The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene.

[16]  P. F. Mattingly.  Genetical aspects of the Aedes aegypti problem. I. Taxonom: and bionomics. , 1957, Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology.

[17]  T. J. Headlee.  The Relative Effects on Insect Metabolism of Temperatures derived from Constant and Variable Sources. , 1940 .

[18]  T. J. Headlee.  A Continuation of the Studies of the Relative Effects on Insect Metabolism of Temperature Derived from Constant and Varied Sources , 1942 .