FIELD AND LABORATORY STUDIES OF Culex erraticus (Diptera: Culicidae) ABILITY TO DETECT HOSTS, HABITAT IDENTIFICATION AND ATTEMPTS AT COLONIZATION By BYRON RICHARD COON A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2006 Copyright 2006 by Byron Richard Coon To my wife, Vicki ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I greatly appreciate the time that my doctoral committee invested in me while I pursued a Doctor of Philosophy degree in entomology. Few walk this road and I extend my thanks to those preceding me for paving the way for us that follow. I extend a special thanks to Dr. Jerry Butler, emeritus professor and chair of my committee. There is something good about being the last student of a career and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to reap 35 years of experience from Dr. Butler. I want to personally thank all the graduate students chaired by Dr. Butler for helping me to be mentored by the best. Dr. Butler is truly a great mentor, coworker and friend. I want to express my deepest gratitude to Marilyn Butler for sharing her husband with this discipline. I wish them both the best as they travel in their motor home to those places they have dreamed about. May their lives be blessed and the sun set each evening on their continuing friendship. Dr. Don Hall has truly been a great inspiration to me during my stay in the department of entomology. He has guided me and mentored me, teaching me how to be a good facilitator of science. He always found time to help me and to encourage me and for this I am grateful. The experience of coteaching insect field biology with Dr. Hall has been a powerful and rewarding learning tool. Dr. Jim Maruniak is an incredible instructor with a deep passion to help others succeed in their endeavors. There has never been a time when I needed help that he failed to help me, even if his own deadlines were fast approaching. He is truly an iv inspiration to students because of his keen ability to help them think outside the box, even when it is uncomfortable to the student. But it is when we become uncomfortable that we become successful. I am truly thankful that he helped me think outside the box. And to his lovely wife, Ale, I am grateful to her for being accessible to answer my questions and for her gift of helping people in their time of need. No words can express my gratitude to Dr. Sam Telford for all he has done to help me in the complicated field of protozoology. I was impressed the first day I met him, and I’m even more impressed five years later. When I look at his life’s resume and what he has contributed, and is still contributing to the field of zoology, protozoology and entomology, I realize he is truly at the top of the list of who’s who of scientists. I will be forever indebted to Dr. Telford for being on my committee and for taking the time to help me see life outside the cell as well as within the cell. Dr. Sandra Allan one of the most generous mentors I know. There was never a time that she was too busy to help me with my program. She always had great suggestions for me when my program was being compromised, and she opened up her facilities to me several times to try new things, such as feeding my mosquitoes on her chickens. What may sound trivial was, to my program, of great value. I want to express my thanks to the faculty and staff in the Department of Entomology and Nematology for befriending me, especially those who became part of my extended family. I personally want to thank Dr. Pauline Lawrence for 10 years of deepening my faith and for mentoring me even though I was not her student. I truly would not be where I am today without her encouragement. I would like to extend special thanks to Myrna Litchfield for seeing me through my doctorate before she retired v from the department. Also special thanks to Nancy Sanders, Pam Howell, and Mike Sanford in the administrative office for all they have done to keep me heading in the right direction. I extend a special thanks to Pam Howell for her skills as a professional editor and for helping me to develop this dissertation. Mrs. Debbie Hall is a great coworker, administrator and, most of all, friend. I thank her for making my life as an instructor and graduate student pleasant and informative. Thanks to Josh Crews for helping Debbie Hall with the day-to-day crises of faculty, staff and students, especially my crises. Josh is a nice person and good friend. I wish him the best in his hammer and nail degree. A special thanks to Dr. John Capinera, for believing in me, and for giving me the opportunity to teach in the department of entomology. It is hard to believe I finally got this “thang wrote.” To my lovely wife of 35 years I want to express my gratitude for walking this road with me and sacrificing for me so we could achieve this level of education. She is my life, the mother of my children and the inspiration to our grandchildren. Nothing can replace her presence in our lives. My daughter Amanda, is my first born, and the day I held her for the first time, I knew she was a gift from God. I am glad He trusted me with her because she is everything I could have asked for. My son, Matthew, has walked many roads with me, and each one has strengthened our friendship and made an unbreakable bond today. He is a fine young man and I know God has huge plans for him. I urge Matt to keep walking in the light and to follow his dreams. Thanks to my parents, Jim and Mary Park, for preparing the way for me as I walk life’s pathway. Their examples are my guiding light. To my mother in law, Fern Kelly, thanks for loving me as your son, and for living a life that is truly worth following. No words can express how vi much I love my sisters and brothers for being a big part of my life even though we live many miles apart. My grandchildren, Corbin, Tyler, Morgan (Prissy), Zachary, and Felicity (Baby Cakes), are so special to me and I love each of them dearly. I am so thankful they are part of my daily life. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ xii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xvi ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................xxv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 Culex erraticus Trapping Methods........................................................................4 Mosquito Activation and Host Location ...............................................................6 Culex erraticus Host Preference..........................................................................10 Culex erraticus Bionomics .........................................................................................13 Culex erraticus Egg Raft.....................................................................................13 Culex erraticus Larva..........................................................................................15 Culex erraticus Pupa ...........................................................................................16 Culex erraticus Adults.........................................................................................17 Veterinary and Medical Importance of Culex erraticus......................................17 Anolis carolinensis......................................................................................................18 Malaria........................................................................................................................20 Background Information .....................................................................................20 Reptilian Malaria.................................................................................................23 2 LABORATORY REARING OF Culex erraticus ......................................................28 Introduction.................................................................................................................28 Materials and Methods ...............................................................................................33 Modified CDC Light Trap...................................................................................34 Lizard Extract ......................................................................................................34 Culex erraticus Colony........................................................................................35 Experimental Colonies ........................................................................................36 Statistical Analysis ..............................................................................................37 Results.........................................................................................................................37 Summary of Life Stages Data..............................................................................37 Colony Egg Description ......................................................................................37 Tetramin® Tropical Flakes Fish Food Colony Produced Eggs ...........................39 viii Tetramin® Tropical