The infectivity and pathogenicity of newly discovered baculovirus, CuniNPV (family Baculoviridae, genus Nucleopolyhedrovirus) originally isolated from the mosquito Culex nigripalpus Theobald, was evaluated in laboratory bioassys against thirteen species and four genera of mosquitoes native to the northeastern U.S. Purified virus at a dosage rate of 1.6 x 10(7) occlusion bodies/ml with 10 mM Mg2...

Two newly developed Bacillus sphaericus larvicidal formulations, VectoLex CG (corncob granules) and VectoLex WDG (water dispersible granules), were tested against Culex quinquefasciatus larvae in 4 highly polluted breeding sites in Thailand. VectoLex CG, applied at rates of 0.5-2 g/m2, gave satisfactory to complete control of late-instar larvae and pupae for up to 4 wk after treatment. The Vect...

Toxicity of a phenyl pyrazole insecticide, fipronil, to 4th-instar larvae of 6 species of colonized mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, Ae. taeniorhynchus, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, Culex nigripalpus, and Cx. quinquefasciatus) and 2 species of field-collected chironomid midges (Chironomus crassicaudatus and Glyptotendipes paripes) was evaluated in the laboratory. All mosquito species we...

Phospholipase B has been found in the mosquito Culex pipiens fatigans, and some of its properties have been studied. The enzyme had a high optimum temperature (45 degrees C) and broad alkaline pH optimum (8-9). It was inactive toward diacylphospholipids, and hydrolyzed lysolecithin at a higher rate than lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine. The enzyme was heat labile, but lysolecithin protected it aga...

Article info: Received: 12 August 2014 Accepted: 13 November 2014 ABSTRACT Mosquitoes are dangerous to mankind and are threatening human life worldwide. Insect specific toxins, which are commonly produced by Bti, are becoming an important component of biological strategies to control mosquito’s population that causes communicable or life threatening diseases. These insect specific toxins are co...

The copepod Mesocyclops aspericornis Daday and the larvivorous fishes Gambusia affinis (B. & G.) and Poecilia reticulata R. & B., were released into mosquito breeding sites in Tuherahera village, Tikehau atoll, French Polynesia, to control larvae of Aedes aegypti (L.), Ae.polynesiensis Marks, Culex annulirostris Skuse and Cx quinquefasciatus Say. Treatments were completed within a week, in Janu...

Landfill monitoring is necessary to avoid adverse environmental impacts. Toxicity tests are now incorporated into landfill hazard assessment. Toxicity of leachate in a lagoon draining the AbaEku landfill, Ibadan, Nigeria was investigated using bioassays. 96hr bioassays were carried out using arthropods (Insecta larvae of Chironomus sp.; Culex pipiens); amphibians (tadpoles of Bufo regularis); a...

Members of the Culex pipiens Linn. complex in the eastern, southern, and central United States are the primary vectors of St. Louis encephalitis virus. Although species and subspecies in the complex can be identified as 4th-instar larvae and by characters on the male genitalia, adult females cannot be identified accurately. In this study a ribosomal DNA (rDNA) segment that includes the internal...