Papers in the Biological Sciences
Date of this Version
10-1966
Abstract
Studies of the local biology of eleven species of mosquitoes in a prairie marsh in central Kansas revealed that "floodwater" species (Aedes dorsalis, A. nigromaculis, A. sollicitans, A. vexans, Psorophora ciliata, P. cyanescens) formed a major portion of the total mosquito population and were the principal pests after early June. Culex tarsalis was the most numerous single species and was captured in large numbers even during the hot, dry period from mid-July to late August. Culiseta inornata was plentiful in early spring and fall, but virtually absent from late May to mid-September. Culex pipiens, Orthopodomyia signijera, and Anopheles punctipennis were captured only a few times or in very small numbers.
Fields bordering the marsh and flooded following heavy late spring rains were the principal production sites for "floodwater" species. Aedes dorsalis, A. nigromaculis, A. sollicitans, A. vexans, P. ciliata, and C. tarsalis were all observed to bite man under various field conditions. C. tarsalis, A. nigromaculis, and A. sollicitans were the only species captured in traps baited with small birds and placed in areas where all "floodwater" species were most abundant. Although all species captured have been collected in the state before, this study was the first of its type in central Kansas.
Comments
Published in the Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society (October 1966) 39(4): 557-561. Copyright 1966, the Kansas Entomological Society. Used by permission.