Predation efficacy of Cyclopoid copepods against Aedes mosquitoes in Northern Italy

PREDATION EFFICACY OF

CYCLOPOID COPEPODS

AGAINST

AEDES

MOSQUITOES

IN NORTHERN ITALY

F. BALDACCHINO

_{, M.C. BRUNO}

_{, P. VISENTIN}

_{, K. BLONDEL}

_{, D. ARNOLDI}

_{, H.C. HAUFFE}

_{and A. RIZZOLI}

a_{Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’Adige (TN),}

Italy; b_{Department of Sustainable Ecosystems and Bioresources, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele}

all’Adige (TN), Italy; c_{Entostudio s.r.l., Ponte san Nicolò (PD), Italy . *frederic.baldacchino@fmach.it}

1_{Montarsi F.} et al. _{2015. Current distribution of the invasive mosquito species,} Aedes koreicus _[Hulecoeteomyia koreica_{] in}

northern Italy. Parasites & Vectors, 8, 614.

2_{Marten G.G. & Reid J.W. 2007. Cyclopoid copepods.} Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association_{, 23, 65-92.} 3 _{Veronesi R. et al. 2015. Macrocyclops albidus (Copepoda: Cyclopidae) for the biocontrol of Aedes albopictus and Culex}

pipiens in Italy. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 31, 32-43.

Acknowledgements and funding:

Autonomous Province of Trento, Grant LEXEM

a b c a b d 0 50 100 Mor ta lit y ra te afte r 24 hou rs

Ae. albopictus Ae. koreicus

A a b c d b b 0 50 100 Mor ta lit y ra te afte r 48 hou rs

Ae. albopictus Ae. koreicus

B

Fig. 3. Mortality rates (mean ±

standard error) of the mosquito

larvae after 24 (A) and 48 hours (B).

Pairwise comparison between each

combinations of treatment/control, copepod species and mosquito species were tested using the Mann-Whitney test. Significant differences (P<0.05) are represented by different letters (a, b, c, d).

Fig. 1 Map of municipalities positive for the presence of

Aedes

koreicus

Aedes albopictus

et al

Both copepod species are efficient predators of

Ae. albopictus

and

Ae. koreicus

, causing more

than 50% of mortality in both mosquito species

after 48 hours.

Further investigations required in the field using

large containers, e.g. buckets or plastic drums.

An ovigerous female of

Macrocyclops albidus

A first instar larva of

Aedes koreicus

Rapid colonization of northern Italy by

Aedes albopictus

and

Aedes koreicus

,

two

invasive mosquito species

,

potentially zoonotic vectors.

Cyclopoid copepods

,

natural predators

of mosquito larvae. Differences in predation

behavior observed in different populations of

the same species worldwide.

Macrocyclops albidus

and

Mesocyclops leuckarti

, common in

lentic habitats in northern Italy. Only one study

carried out on the use of

M. albidus

against

Ae. albopictus

in Italy.

_{No copepod species}

previously tested against

Ae. koreicus

larvae.

One female copepod was

offered 50 first instar larvae of a single mosquito species in a Petri dish filled with 10 mL of well water. The number of live larvae was counted after 24 and 48 hours.