DISTRIBUTION OF LAMBORNELLA-STEGOMYIAE IN MALAYSIA AND ITS POTENTIAL FOR THE CONTROL OF MOSQUITOS OF PUBLIC-HEALTH IMPORTANCE

Very little work has been conducted on the parasitic ciliate, Lamborne lla stegomyiae, since it was first found in Aedes albopictus larvae br eeding in an earthenware pot in Kajang, Malaysia, in 1920. The present study was carried out to determine the natural distribution of this o rganism in Peninsular Malaysia and to study its potential as a biologi cal control agent. The central zone had the highest percentage of larv ae infected with L. stegomyiae, followed closely by the northwestern z one. The only state that did not yield any infected larvae was Trengga nu. Most of the L. stegomyiae were found in rubber cups. Lambornella s tegomyiae were found mostly in Ae. albopictus and in Armigeres spp. La boratory experiments showed that L. stegomyiae did not show potential as a good biological control agent. The parasite was only able to infe ct first-instar larvae and it was not possible to culture the parasite s in vitro.