Biting behaviour of Armigeres subalbatus (Coquillett) with reference to host selection and landing.

ABSTRACT

Armigeres subalbatus (Coquillett), a vicious crepuscular biter, has been selected to study the biting behaviour with reference to factors affecting landing and host selection in the laboratory. The mosquito showed a higher attractancy to relatively warmer skin of human hands. There was also a significant attraction towards the artificially warmed hands than the normal ones, and the mosquitoes avoided the artificially cooled hands. Therefore, host temperature is a factor which influences the attraction and subsequent landings of A. subalbatus. When the mosquitoes were offered animal hosts, the order of host preference by these mosquitoes was hen > rabbit > guinea pig, both in single and two-host combinations thus, showing their preference to avian host.