Influence of vegetation on the spatial distribution of Toxorhynchites moctezuma ovipositions in the field.

The influence of the vegetation surrounding black-painted calabash ovitraps on the number of eggs of the mosquito Toxorhynchites moctezuma they attracted was investigated using oviposition data gathered from a seasonal-deciduous forest in Trinidad, West Indies. More eggs were laid into ovitraps situated either within or directly adjacent to trees or bamboo stools than those not associated with trees or bamboo. This result is discussed in terms of the initial oviposition-site searching behavior of female Toxorhynchites.