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Influence of elevation and avian or mammalian hosts on attraction of Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) in southern Ontario

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2012

Curtis Russell  and
Fiona F. Hunter
Curtis Russell
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 3A1
Fiona F. Hunter*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 3A1
*
1 Corresponding author (e-mail: fhunter@brocku.ca).
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Abstract

We studied Culex pipiens L. in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada, to establish whether or not these mosquitoes are attracted to hosts other than birds at different elevations or as the season progresses. Guinea-pigs and chickens were used as representative mammalian and avian hosts, respectively. Bait animals were placed next to modified CDC miniature light traps (no light and no CO2) hung 1.5 or 5 m above ground in a Niagara woodlot. The season was divided into three 6-week periods (early, middle, and late). Significantly more C. pipiens were captured at the 5 m than at the 1.5 m elevation. In general, chicken-baited traps were preferred over control and guinea-pig-baited traps, with one important exception: there was no significant difference among traps during the late period at 1.5 m elevation. The potential role of C. pipiens as a bridging vector of West Nile virus to humans is discussed.

Résumé

Nous avons étudié des Culex pipiens L. dans la région de Niagara en Ontario, Canada, afin de déterminer si ces moustiques sont attirés par des hôtes autres que des oiseaux en fonction de la hauteur et au cours de la saison. Des cobayes et des poulets ont servi d'hôtes représentatifs, respectivement des mammifères et des oiseaux. Les animaux appâts ont été placés près de pièges lumineux CDC miniatures modifiés (sans lumière, ni CO2) pendus à 1,5 et à 5 m au-dessus du sol dans une région boisée de Niagara. La saison a été divisée en trois périodes de 6 semaines (précoce, médiane et tardive). Il y a eu significativement plus de captures de C. pipiens à la hauteur de 5 m qu’à 1,5 m. En général, les pièges munis d'un poulet sont choisis de préférence aux pièges témoins et à ceux qui contiennent un cobaye, sauf qu’exceptionnellement il n’y a pas eu de différence significative entre les pièges durant la période tardive à la hauteur de 1,5 m. Le rôle de C. pipiens comme vecteur-pont potentiel du virus du Nil occidental chez les humains fait l'objet d'une discussion.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 142 , Issue 3 , June 2010 , pp. 250 - 255
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2010

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