Battle at the bloodmeal lek #ESA2016
This composite image shows a female yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti, left) and male Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus, right). Male Ae. albopictus will attempt to mate with females of another mosquito species with overlapping habitat, the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti). Cross species matings may sterilize the Ae. aegypti females for life and contribute to rapid competitive displacements of A. aegypti, as observed in the areas of the southeast United States associated with tiger mosquito invasions. Photos and graphics by J. Newman, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida.
Invasive Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the principal vectors of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses in the Americas. These species often find themselves in competition for mates and resources for their young. Cross-mating between the species creates infertile eggs and permanent sterilization of A. aegypti females. Lounibos and colleague Steven Juliano of Illinois State University described the causes and consequences of coexistence in south Florida. Lounibos will present their results in a session on Invasion: Species Interactions at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, in southern Florida.
- COS 84-1 -Where vectors collide: Effects of interspecific competition on worldwide niches of invasive Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus
- Thursday, August 11, 2016: 1:30 PM, room 209/210, Ft Lauderdale Convention Center
- L. Philip Lounibos, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida, Vero Beach, FL
Browse more presentations about mosquito ecology at the 2016 Annual Meeting.