Biology and blood feeding behavior of a laboratory population of Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: culicidae)

Date

4-2012

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agriculture

Major Course

Major in Entomology

College

College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Caoili, Barbara L.

Abstract

The duration of development from egg to adult of Culex quinquefasciatus was determined under laboratory conditions with an average temperature and humidity of 26.56 ± 3.91°C and 84.45 ± 6.37 RH, respectively. The mean incubation period of the eggs was 1 day. Highest mortality rate of 24.5% was observed during the larval stage. The average immature duration (egg to pupal stage) for Cx. quinquefasciatus was 8.45 ± 1.45 days. Cx. quinquefasciatus exhibited 1:1 sex ratio. Females, even in the absence of blood meal, were relatively had longer life span (19 days) than adult male mosquitoes (11 days). The peak biting time and age of Cx. quinquefasciatus were also determined. Cx. quinquefasciatus exhibited no apparent uniform pattern of biting activity between the different age groups. Data obtained from this study, however, revealed that ages 4 to 9 days old (DO) Cx. quinquefasciatus had an early morning biting activity from 01:00H to 06:00H. in contrast with previous studies, which noted Cx. quinquefasciatus as a primarily night-biting mosquito species only 7 DO females showed a night- biting activity at 21:00H. At 6 days old, the adult female mosquitoes were more active in blood feeding, with an average percentage biting females of 30.39 % ± 3.41.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section

Call Number

Thesis

Document Type

Thesis

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS