Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T23:56:02.187Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An oviposition attractant pheromone in Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

B. R. Laurence  and
J. A. Pickett
B. R. Laurence
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, WClE 7HT, UK
J. A. Pickett
Affiliation:
Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, Herts., AL5 2JQ, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Gravid females of Culex quinquefasciatus Say from a laboratory strain originating in Nigeria orientated to a source of the main volatile pheromone component, erythro-6-acetoxy-5-hexadecanolide, isolated from the apical droplets of the egg rafts. Significantly more egg rafts were laid around polystyrene discs treated with the synthetic compound than around untreated discs, and modification of the chemical structure destroyed its biological activity. The response was found at a dose of 0·02μg of the synthetic compound, which is equivalent to one-sixteenth of the total acetoxyhexadecanolide found in an egg raft, and above. Although the apical droplets were contaminated by bacteria, these did not contribute to the production of the acetoxyhexadecanolide, which was present in the eggs before they were laid. It is concluded that the pheromone is released slowly from the apical droplets into the air above the water surface, attracting other gravid females to oviposit around previously laid egg rafts, and there is evidence of attraction over a distance of 5·5 cm.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 75 , Issue 2 , June 1985 , pp. 283 - 290
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adham, F. K. (1979). Studies on laboratory oviposition behaviour of Aedes caspius (Diptera, Culicidae).—Acta entomol. bohemoslov. 76, 99–103.Google Scholar
Andreadis, T. G. (1977). An oviposition attractant of pupal origin in Culex salinarius .—Mosquito News 37, 53–56.Google Scholar
Bruno, D. W. & Laurence, B. R. (1979). The influence of the apical droplet of Culex egg rafts on oviposition of Culex pipiens fatigans (Diptera: Culicidae).—J. med. Entomol. 16, 300–305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dadd, R. H. & Kleinjan, J. E. (1974). Autophagostimulant from Culex pipiens larvae: distinction from other mosquito larval factors.—Environ. Entomol. 3, 21–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gubler, D. J. (1971). Studies on the comparative oviposition behavior of Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus and Aedes (Stegomyia) polynesiensis Marks.—J. med. Entomol. 8, 675–682.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hinton, H. E. (1968). Structure and protective devices of the egg of the mosquito Culex pipiens .—J. Insect Physiol. 14, 145–161.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kalpage, K. S. P. & Brust, R. A. (1973). Oviposition attractant produced by immature Aedes atropalpus .—Environ. Entomol. 2, 729–730.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laurence, B. R., Mori, K., Otsuka, T., Pickett, J. A. & Wadhams, L. J. (in press). The absolute configuration of the mosquito oviposition attractant pheromone, 6-acetoxy-5-hexadecanolide.—J. chem. Ecol. Google Scholar
Laurence, B. R. & Pickett, J. A. (1982). erythro-6-Acetoxy-5-hexadecanolide, the major component of a mosquito oviposition attractant pheromone.—J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun.1982, 59–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mori, K. & Otsuka, T. (1983). Synthesis of both the enantiomers of erythro-6-acetoxy-5-hexadecanolide, the major component of a mosquito oviposition pheromone.—Tetrahedron 39, 33–3269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakamura, H. (1978). Oviposition preference of Culex pipiens molestus and C. tritaeniorhynchus summorosus onto the waters conditioned by the egg rafts or the larvae [in Japanese].—J. sanit. Zool. 29, 117–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osgood, C. E. (1971). An oviposition pheromone associated with the egg rafts of Culex tarsalis .—J. econ. Ent. 64, 1038–1041.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Osgood, C. E. & Kempster, R. H. (1971). An air-flow olfactometer for distinguishing between oviposition attractants and stimulants of mosquitoes.—J. econ. Ent. 64, 1109–1110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, D. R. & Hsi, B. P. (1977). A method of evaluating ovipositional attractants of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), with preliminary results.—J. med. Entomol. 14, 129–131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soman, R. S. & Reuben, R. (1970). Studies on the preference shown by ovipositing females of Aedes aegypti for water containing immature stages of the same species. —J. med. Entomol.7, 485–489.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Starratt, A. N. & Osgood, C. E. (1972). An oviposition pheromone of the mosquito Culex tarsalis: diglycende composition of the active fraction.—Biochim. biophys. Acta 280, 187–193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Starratt, A. N. & Osgood, C. E. (1973). 1,3-Diglycerides from eggs of Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus and Culex pipiens pipiens .—Comp. biochem. Physiol. (B) 46, 857–859.Google ScholarPubMed
Trimble, R. M. & Wellington, W. G. (1980). Oviposition stimulant associated with fourth-instar larvae of Aedes togoi (Diptera: Culicidae).—J. med. Entomol. 17, 509–514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar