Observations on mating behavior and survivorship of Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles (Diptera: culicidae) during late autumn.

Virgin Culex tritaeniorhynchus males and females from a laboratory strain and the progeny of wild-caught females were released at a rural village on the outskirts of Lahore during late autumn to study mating behavior in nature at a time when population abundance was declining. Although both released and endemic males were numerous, few recaptured females were inseminated. Apparently during late autumn there normally is a cessation of mating activity as the population begins to enter the overwintering diapause condition even though males and virgin females may be readily collected resting in fields. These data suggested that genetic material would not be readily introduced into the overwintering population during late autumn.

The influence of physiological age on the biting rhythm of Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles (Diptera : Culcidae)

All of 704 Cx. tritaeniorhynchus females caught on bufflo bait were inseminated and 98 % were at ovariole stage 1. Parity rates ranged from 41 % to 66 % on the 4 nights studied with increases observed during dusk, midnight and before dawn. Changes in the parity of the biting population were related to sexual maturation, mating, oviposition rhythms and especially the survivorship of the adults.