Lecture 5 Flashcards
Aedes aegypti characteristics
- adapted to humans: lives close to humans
- breed in water storage pots
- originated in Africa
- “snow melt” mosquitoes
Aedes transmits what?
Yellow fever, Dengue, and Zika.
All mosquitoes are part of a single family called
Culicidae
family=”dae”
Anopheles mate where, and will you encounter the males?
away from the host and you will most likely not encounter a male anopheles
Anophelinae are not considered
major nuisances because they do not occur in large numbers like others do
Are Aedes and Culex nuisances?
Yes! They have a large population and are major pests. Cause annoyance.
Charles Darwin came up with
Natural Selection
Culex transmits what?
West Nile, and other encephalitic viruses.
Evolutionary theory says that
Organisms should maximize their reproduction.
Example of a K-strategist
Humans.
- low fecundity
- investment in offspring
- large body size
- long generation time
Example of an r-strategist
Ticks.
- high fecundity
- small body size
- early maturity
- short generation time
- disperse offspring widely.
Example of livestock loss in Texas due to what mosquitoe?
Aedes mosquito. Killed through blood loss from an abundance appearing after a hurricane.
Female mosquitoes have what type of antennae
Twig antennae
Fitness
Proportion of the individual’s genes in the next generation.
Genus Aedes characteristics
- eggs can withstand desiccation, so it promotes man-facilitated dispersal.
- Live in manmade containers such as flower pots.
- Live above water
Genus Anopheles adults are ____ sleepers. Blood feeding occurs from ___ to ___.
nocturnal, and it occurs from dust to dawn.
Genus Culex contain how many species? What is the most important Culex mosquitoe + characteristics?
- over 1,000 species
- Culex quinquefasciatus “southern house mosquito” that lives in gross environments. Important vector of West Nile
Has the number of Aedes mosquitoes grown in the U.S or shrunk?
Aedes aegypti were established in southern US. However, in past 20 years, the amount has shrunk drastically.
High virulence means
high mortality, sever illness (malaria, yellow fever)
How can Aedes albopictus out compete Aedes aegypti?
-their larvae lives in same habitat and outcompetes aegypti
-more diverse diet
aggressive day biter and big nuisance