Volume 23 Number 1 - Wing Beats - Wing Beats - Florida Mosquito ...

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family Corethrellidae, similar defensive
motions are used against
mosquitoes.
Do these challenges result in
similarities among the frogbiting
mosquito species? Several
generalities can be suggested.
First, frog-biting diptera tend to be
nocturnal. There are exceptions,
such as the biting ceratopogonid
midge Forcipomyia fairfaxensis,
but the majority of flies which are
known to feed regularly on frogs
are active at night. This is not
too surprising, since most frogs
and toads are also active and
calling at night. This is the time
when these hosts are easiest to
detect. Secondly, the frog-biting
species discussed here all spend
their larval stages in ground pools
rather than container habitats.
This may increase contact with
frog hosts and in Cx territans,
larval habitat has been shown to
be closely correlated with host
presence (Bartlett-Healy et al,
2008b). A final similarity among
frog-biting species is small body
size. The genus Uranotaenia
includes some of the smallest
mosquitoes of any genus and
the subgenus Melanoconion
includes some of the smallest
of the Culex. Even Cx territans
is a fairly small Culex mosquito,
although not as small as these
other groups. In parasite biology,
Harrison’s rule states that parasite
body size tends to correlate to
host size such that larger hosts
have larger parasites. Examples
are seen in insects that are
closely associated with their
host such as lice, fleas and
flower thrips (Kirk, 1991). Although
mosquitoes do not live on their
host, sufficient host interaction
may occur to select for body
size. The frog’s combination of
relatively small body size and
good defensive abilities may
favor mosquitoes having a small,
agile body for successful blood
feeding.
There is much to be learned from
Florida’s frog-biting mosquitoes.
The ability to observe natural
mosquito-host interactions is a
great opportunity that could
lead to discoveries applicable
to other hosts which are more
difficult to observe directly. The
importance of ectotherms as
disease reservoirs is receiving
increased attention leading to
questions about the habits of
the biting flies which feed on
them. And, if nothing else, there
is a fascinating story behind the
lives of these small, secretive
mosquitoes.
REFERENCES CITED
Bartlett-Healy K, Crans W &
Gaugler R. 2008a. Phonotaxis to
amphibian vocalization in Culex
territans (Diptera: Culicidae).
Ann Entomol Soc Am 101(1):
95-103.
Bartlett-Healy K, Crans W &
Gaugler R. 2008b. Temporal
and spatial synchrony of Culex
territans (Diptera: Culicidae) with
their amphibian hosts. J Med
Entomol 45: 1031-1038.
Borkent A & Belton P. 2006.
Attraction of female Uranotaenia
lowii (Diptera: Culicidae) to frog
calls in Costa Rica. Can Entomol
138: 91-94.
Burkett-Cadena ND, Graham SP,
Hassan HK, Guyer C, Eubanks
MD, Katholi CR, Unnasch TR.
2008. Blood feeding patterns
of potential arbovirus vectors
of the genus Culex targeting
ectothermic hosts. Am J Trop
Med Hyg 79: 809-815.
Cupp EW, Zhang D, Yue X,
Cupp MS, Guyer C, Sprenger TR,
Unnasch TR. 2004. Identification
of reptilian and amphibian
blood meals from mosquitoes
in an eastern equine encephalomyelitis
virus focus in
Spring 2012 Wing Beats
central Alabama. Am J Trop
Med Hyg 71: 272-276.
Edman JD. 1979. Host-feeding
patterns of Florida mosquitoes
(Diptera: Culicidae). VI. Culex
(Melanoconion). J Med Entomol
15: 521-525.
Kirk, WDJ. 1991. The size relationship
between insects and
their hosts. Ecol Entomol 16:
351-359.
Larrick S, Blosser EM & Connelly
CR. “Culex (Melanoconion)
iolambdis Dyar” Featured
Creatures. Ed. Thomas R Fasulo.
2010. University of Florida. 3 Feb
2012 .
Tamashiro M, Toma T, Mannen
K, Higa Y & Miyagi I. 2011.
Bloodmeal identification and
feeding habits of mosquitoes
(Diptera: Culicidae) collected
at five islands in the Ryukyu
Archipelago, Japan. Med
Entomol Zool 62: 53-70.
Erik M Blosser
PhD Student
eblosser@ufl.edu
L Philip Lounibos
Professor
lounibos@ufl.edu
Florida Medical
Entomology Laboratory
Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences
University of Florida
200 9th Street SE
Vero Beach, FL 32962
772-778-7200