ESTIMATES OF POPULATION-SIZE, DISPERSAL, AND LONGEVITY OF DOMESTIC AEDES-AEGYPTI-AEGYPTI (DIPTERA, CULICIDAE) BY MARK-RELEASE-RECAPTURE IN THE VILLAGE OF SHAURI-MOYO IN EASTERN KENYA

Estimates of the absolute size of a domestic population of Aedes aegyp ti aegypti (L.) were made in the Rabai area of Kenya, based on a singl e release, followed by either single or repeated recaptures. From sing le recapture within 24 h of release, the size of the female Ae. a, aeg ypti population in the Shauri Moyo village was estimated by the Lincol n index to be 365. Using a single release and repeated recaptures, pop ulation size was estimated by Jackson's positive method to be 337. Dep letion of the unmarked females by daily removal sampling provided us w ith two additional, direct estimates of the size of the village popula tion (451 by Kano's method and [464 +/- 18.9 SEM] by the Moran-Zippin method). The longevity of marked females was at least 9 d. The day-to- day movement of marked mosquitoes revealed the dispersal pattern of Ae . a. aegypti among houses clustered within different distance zones. M arked mosquitoes reached all houses of the village within 24 h of rele ase. After 5 d, the dispersion of both marked and unmarked mosquitoes among houses was similar.