Interactions between larvae of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in mixed experimental populations
Supat Sucharit; Watanasak Tumrasvin; Samran Vutikes; Somjai Viraboonchai
Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health 9(1): 93-97
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0125-1562 PMID: 705422 Document Number: 125984
In Bangkok, Thailand, Aedes aegypti (L.), the principal vector of dengue haemorrhagic fever, is present in large numbers, and A. albopictus (Skuse), a minor vector, is less abundant; both species are present together in rural areas. The interactions of the larvae of the 2 species in mixed experimental populations under adequate and inadequate food supply were investigated in the laboratory. A. aegypti had beneficial effects on the development and survival of A. albopictus when food was adequate, but adverse effects when food was inadequate. It is suggested that these results could explain why A. albopictus is exterminated when A. aegypti is present, and that urbanisation and the ecology of mosquitoes could be factors in reducing the numbers of A. albopictus in urbanised areas.