Laboratory Flight Ability of the Mosquito, Culex Tarsalis Coq1

Abstract

The tethered flight ability of adult female Culex tarsalis mosquitoes was measured under laboratory conditions by using an automatically recording flight mill system. The influence of senescence on flight performance was evaluated with mosquitoes of increasing age from 1 through 26 days. The distance, duration, and speed of flight were measured. Forty mosquitoes flew an average of 12,556 meters during the 1st week of adult life, and the average distance flown by 2-week-old mosquitoes was 11,576 m. There was a pronounced reduction in flight ability after 2 weeks; the mean distance flown during week 3 dropped to 6,829 m. Gravid mosquitoes flew much farther than virgin mosquitoes of the same age. A single gravid mosquito flew 41,713 m, a distance of 25.9 miles. Six gravid mosquitoes, 28 and 29 days old, flew an average of 29,073 m, just 542 m less than the greatest distance flown by any virgin mosquito.