Biting density, behavior and age distribution of Culex quinquefasciatus, say in Mysore City, India.

ABSTRACT

The seasonal abundance, night indoor biting behavior and parity of Culex quinquefasciatus were investigated for a period of one year from June 1988 to May 1989 in Mysore City. Twelve-hour night-time biting catches were carried out from 1800-0600 hours at four selected urban localities. The biting cycle revealed that Cx. quinquefasciatus was active throughout the night, with peak activity at 2200-2300 hours. The biting proportion of nulliparous and parous mosquitos during different hours of the night showed that nulliparous mosquitos increased from 1800 to 0600 hours (dusk to dawn), while parous mosquitos (aged) decreased from early night to the morning. One major and two minor biting peaks were encountered here. The maximum density noticed was during March 1989 (147.5 per man night) and the lowest was during July 1988 (58.3 per man night). The biting behavior/density of this important urban mosquito vector under the existing climatic conditions are discussed in the light of the earlier reports elsewhere.