Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T05:46:41.435Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mouth-brush dimorphism in larvae of Opifex fuscus Hutton (Diptera, Culicidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

D. D. McGregor
D. D. McGregor
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Among larval populations of the mosquito Opifex fuscus Hutton from supralittoral pools on the east coast of South Island, New Zealand, some individuals in the second, third and fourth instars had only simple hairs in their mouth-brushes, others had pectinate bristles. All first-instar larvae had simple hairs, and samples of these from the same pool were reared in the laboratory at 25°C. Of 13 fed on dehydrated blood serum, only two developed pectinate bristles, but of 15 fed on fish food (particle size 0·1–0·6 mm.), all but one did. Of a later sample of 16 reared at room temperature on fish food in the first two instars and then on the blood serum, all developed pectinate bristles in the second instar but had reverted to simple hairs by the fourth. In nature, larvae of O. fuscus observed to be feeding by filtering were predominantly of the simple-hair type and those browsing of the pectinate-bristle type. Environmentally controlled dimorphism may increase the probability that an individual will develop to maturity.

Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 54 , Issue 2 , August 1963 , pp. 325 - 327
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1963

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

Dumbleton, L. J. (1962). A new species and new sub-genus of Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae) from New Zealand.—N.Z. J. Sci. 5 pp. 17–27.Google Scholar
Marks, E. N. (1958). Notes onOpifex fuscus Hutton (Diptera: Culicidae) and the scope for further research on it.—N.Z. Ent. 2 no. 2 pp. 20–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marks, E. N. & Hodgkin, E. P. (1958). A new species of Aëdes (Finlaya) from northern Australia (Diptera, Culicidae).—Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 83 pp. 33–39.Google Scholar
Mattingly, P. F. (1957). The Culicine mosquitoes of the Indomalayan Area. Part II. Genus Heizmannia Ludlow.—57 pp. London, Brit. Mus. (nat. Hist.).Google Scholar
Miller, D. (1922). A remarkable mosquito, Opifex fuscus, Hutton.—Bull. ent. Res. 13 pp. 115–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nye, E. R. (1962). Aedes (Pseudoskusea) australis Erichson (Diptera: Culicidae) in New Zealand.—Trans, roy. Soc. N.Z. (Zool.) 3 pp. 33–34.Google Scholar
Nye, E. R. & Mcgregor, D. D. (1963). Mosquitoes of Otago.— Rec. Otago Mus. (Zool.) 1 no. 1.Google Scholar
Rosen, L. & Rozeboom, L. E. (1954). Morphologic variations of larvae of the scutellaris group of Aedes (Diptera, Culicidae) in Polynesia.—Amer. J. trop. Med. Hyg. 3 pp. 529–538.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed