Ya. Offill et We. Walton, Comparative efficacy of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and the mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) for mosquito control, J AM MOSQ C, 15(3), 1999, pp. 380-390
Citations number
37
Categorie Soggetti
Entomology/Pest Control
Journal title
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION
The effectiveness of the threespine stickleback as a mosquito control agent
was compared to that of the mosquitofish in 28-m(2) earthen ponds during 2
6-wk experiments where the 2 fish were stocked alone and together. Relativ
e to ponds without fish, the stickleback was not effective for controlling
larval mosquito populations; however, sticklebacks reduced the abundance of
Cities pupae. Mosquitofish provided significant levels of control whether
stocked alone or concurrently with the stickleback. As compared to mosquito
fish alone, mosquito control was not significantly enhanced when both fish
were stocked together Mortality of adult sticklebacks was related to a grad
ient of increasing water temperature across the ponds rather than the direc
t effects of other abiotic factors such as low dissolved oxygen concentrati
ons or biotic interactions with the mosquitofish. The stickleback exhibited
a lower thermal tolerance and slower population recruitment as compared to
the mosquitofish populations, which reproduced successfully in water >33 d
egrees C and grew rapidly. Stickleback biomass either declined or increased
slightly (similar to 50% of initial stocking weight). Mosquitofish biomass
increased 33- to 38-fold at rates averaging between 0.079 and 0.095 g wet
weight/g/day and total wet weight per pond at 6 wk after stocking did not d
iffer significantly between the 2 mosquitofish treatments.