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Impact of antagonistic crustaceans on the population of Aedes aegypti L. larvae under laboratory conditions
A Thakur, DK Kocher
Department of Zoology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
Correspondence Address:
A Thakur,
Department of Zoology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None DOI: 10.4103/0972-9062.308802
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Background & objectives: Dengue and chikungunya are two mosquito-borne viral ailments transmitted by Aedes mosquito species and are a great public health concern in India. The present study was aimed to check the influence of antagonistic crustaceans especially Mesocyclops aspericornis and Daphnia magna on Ae. aegypti L. mosquito population.
Method: Variable ratios of these crustaceans (Aedes: Mesocyclops: Daphnia) against Ae. aegypti larvae were tested by putting them in plastic beakers having dechlorinated water along with yeast stock solution provided as food, and kept in BOD incubator at a temperature of 26 ±1°C.
Results: Out of all tested concentrations, 1:1:3 where the number of D. magna was thrice the number of Mesocyclops and Aedes; larvae showed a significant delay of 5-6 days in the developmental period. Maximum reduction in the emergence of females was recorded in the ratio 1:1:3, i.e. only 6.5 ± 0.47 females emerged when Daphnia used thrice the number of Aedes larvae. Body size of both males and females emerged from treated sets was found to be significantly reduced. The longevity of adults was also reduced from 8-17 days to 5-8 days in the case of males and from 14-26 days to 5-9 days in females.
Interpretation & conclusion: Among variable ratios tested under laboratory conditions, 1:1:2 and 1:1:3 ratios were found to be the effective ratios that greatly reduced the development duration, survivorship of larvae, and the number of larvae emerging into adulthood. Thus, antagonistic crustaceans specifically Mesocyclops and Daphnia can be used as biocontrol agents for the sustainable control of container breeding mosquitoes. |
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