Observações sobre o comportamento de acasalamento de Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera-Culicitlae)

Abstract

An investigation was conducted into the mating behaviour of strains of Culex quinquefasciatus Say from the Gambia, West Africa and Amazonas, Brazil. Using an infra-red sensitive television system for observation in the "dark"; experiments showed that males are attracted to the flight tone of the female and do not appear to discriminate between members of their own and other genera. The response of males to artificial female flight tones is at a peak in the hour following light off in an LD12:12 regime and shows a circadian pattern in constant dark. In the field mating was observed when the males were actively swarming at dusk and dawn. It is concluded that mating is dependant on male activity but that the choice of a species specific partner is dependant on the female.