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1 March 2011 Effect of Malathion on Larval Competition between Aedes albopictus and Aedes atropalpus (Diptera: Culicidae)
Banugopan Kesavaraju, Christopher W. Brey, Ary Farajollahi, Heather L. Evans, Randy Gaugler
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Abstract

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes atropalpus (Coquillett) (Diptera: Culicidae) are container-dwelling mosquito species that are well established in the eastern United States. Interspecific larval competition studies have shown Ae. albopictus to be a superior competitor over many species. A laboratory experiment was conducted in artificial containers to evaluate the effects of malathion on larval interactions between Ae. albopictus and Ae. atropalpus. The survivorship of Ae. albopictus increased with increasing Ae. atropalpus densities in control but decreased with increasing Ae. atropalpus densities in the presence of malathion. Alternatively, Ae. atropalpus survivorship did not differ between control and malathion treatments. Developmental times were not affected by interspecific competition in both treatments for either species. These results show that malathion could facilitate coexistence between Ae. albopictus and Ae. atropalpus. This demonstrates how sublethal concentrations of malathion (and perhaps other pesticides with similar modes of action) can enable an inferior competitor to coexist in the same habitat with a superior competitor. This is the first report of synergistic survival of a weaker mosquito competitor in the presence of a pesticide due to condition-specific competition.

© 2011 Entomological Society of America
Banugopan Kesavaraju, Christopher W. Brey, Ary Farajollahi, Heather L. Evans, and Randy Gaugler "Effect of Malathion on Larval Competition between Aedes albopictus and Aedes atropalpus (Diptera: Culicidae)," Journal of Medical Entomology 48(2), 479-484, (1 March 2011). https://doi.org/10.1603/ME10101
Received: 12 April 2010; Accepted: 1 December 2010; Published: 1 March 2011
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KEYWORDS
Aedes albopictus
Aedes atropalpus
competition
malathion
pesticide
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