Methanol extracts of different plants namely, Trichodesma africanum (Boraginaceae), Cleome rupicola (Capparceae) and Ochradenus baccatus (Resedaceae), were tested for larvicidal activity against 4 instar larvae of Aedes caspius and Culex pipiens mosquitoes. All plant extracts tested against Ae. caspius showed 100% mortality at 10μg/ml except the stem of O. baccatus which showed 90% mortality. H...

Mosquito-borne diseases are major health problems worldwide. Serological responses to mosquito saliva proteins may be useful in estimating individual exposure to bites from mosquitoes transmitting these diseases. However, the relationships between the levels of these IgG responses and mosquito density as well as IgG response specificity at the genus and/or species level need to be clarified pri...

The present study aimed to identify the mosquito vectors distributed throughout AL-Ahsaa district situated in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Mosquito larvae were collected seasonally for one year (October 2009 to September 2010) from different breeding sites in seven rural areas utilizing long aquatic nets. Salinity and pH of these breeding sites were also measured seasonally. The survey r...

Individuals of different sex, size or developmental stage can compete differently and hence contribute distinctively to population dynamics. In species with complex life cycles such as insects, competitive ability is often positively correlated with larval developmental stage. Yet, little is known on how the development and survival of early-instars is influenced by interference from late-insta...

Temporal and seasonal variations in the nocturnal activities of adult females of six locally common mosquitoes, Aedes cretinus, Ochlerotatus caspius, Oc. dorsalis, Culex pipiens, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and Culiseta annulata were studied at Belek, Turkey, using New Jersey light traps and CO2 charged olfactory traps. In addition to assessing the relative value of these traps as sampling devices ca...

We explored how inter- and intra-specific competition among larvae of two temporary-pool mosquito species, Culiseta longiareolata and Ochlerotatus caspius, affect larval developmental strategy and life history traits. Given that their larvae have similar feeding habits, we expected negative reciprocal inter-specific interactions. In a microcosm experiment, we found sex-specific responses of lar...

The species composition and seasonal population dynamics of mosquitoes trapped in the Belek Region of Turkey are described. Eight traps (four New Jersey light traps and four CO2 baited traps) were activated weekly at four different sampling sites (wooded area, open field, village, and road edge). Between May and December, 1997, 4,542 specimens representing seven species (Culex pipiens, Culex tr...

P-glycoproteins (P-gps) are efflux transporters found in cells of a broad range of both procaryotic and eukaryotic taxa, whose action is to relieve the cells of multiple, structurally dissimilar, toxic compounds. The possible role of P-gps in defence against the insecticides temephos and diflubenzuron was investigated in the mosquito Aedes caspius (Pallas), also known as Ochlerotatus (Aedes) ca...

We report the characterization of three novel flaviviruses isolated in Spain. Marisma Mosquito virus, a novel mosquito borne virus, was isolated from Ochlerotatus caspius mosquitoes; Spanish Ochlerotatus flavivirus and Spanish Culex flavivirus, two novel insect flaviviruses, were isolated from Oc. caspius and Culex pipiens, respectively. During this investigation, we designed a sensitive RT-nes...

The used tire trade has facilitated the introduction, spread, and establishment of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, and other mosquito species in several countries of America, Africa, Oceania, and Europe. A strategy for detecting these imported mosquito vectors was developed in Spain during 2003-2004 by EVITAR (multidisciplinary network for the study of viruses transmitted by arthrop...