Behavioral responses of gravid Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti, and Anopheles quadrimaculatus mosquitoes to aquatic macrophyte volatiles.

Mosquitoes use many cues to assess whether a habitat is conducive for reproduction, possibly including the presence of stimuli from aquatic macrophytes. The effect of water infusions of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), water lettuce (Pista stratioles), parrotfeather (Myriophyllum aquaticum), and water pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata) on mosquito oviposition and attraction was investigated. Gravid Culex quinquefasciatus deposited significantly more egg rafts in water hyacinth, water lettuce, or Bermuda hay (positive control) infusions compared to water, while water pennywort and parrotfeather infusions did not differ from water. In-flight attraction responses of Cx. quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti, and Anopheles quadrimaculatus were evaluated. The strongest attraction of gravid Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti occurred in the presence of volatiles from infusions of water hyacinth and water lettuce, which were equal in attractiveness to hay infusion. Water pennywort and parrotfeather infusions were not attractive. Gravid An. quadrimaculatus were not attracted to aquatic plant volatiles. The results suggest that water hyacinth and water lettuce emit volatile chemicals that attract two of three mosquito species tested and stimulate oviposition by Cx. quinquefasciatus, demonstrating that the level of attraction of aquatic plant volatiles varies among species in ways that may have relevance to bait-based detection and control methods.

Effects of drought stressed cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., on beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), oviposition, and larval feeding preferences and growth.

The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), has been anecdotally reported to oviposit more on drought stressed than on nonstressed cotton plants. Using potted cotton plants in cages, this study demonstrated that beet armyworms deposited 3.3, 4.6, and 2.3 times more (P < or = 0.05) eggs on cotton plants that were grown on 1500, 1000, and 750 ml water/wk, respectively, than on cotton plants grown in well watered (4000 ml water/wk) soil. Third instars, however, showed no preference for stressed cotton foliage over nonstressed foliage. Third instar beet armyworms raised on well watered cotton plants were 1.5, 2.3, and 2.6 times heavier than those reared on cotton grown in the 1500, 1000, and 750 ml water/wk plants (P < or = 0.05), respectively. Physiochemical analyses showed that drought stressed leaves had significantly greater accumulations of free amino acids that are essential for insect growth and development. Soluble protein and soluble carbohydrates were also more abundant in stressed leaves compared to nonstressed leaves. Despite the apparent increase in nutritional quality in drought stressed plants, larval survival was reduced, probably because the limiting factor became water. Greater amounts of cotton leaf area were consumed from drought stressed leaves (P < or = 0.05) than from nonstressed leaves, probably because the larvae had to metabolize greater portions of assimilated energy to supplement body water with metabolic water derived from respiration. The association of greater host plant nutritional quality to oviposition preference, and conversely, to reduced survivorship, is discussed.