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Electrophysiological and behavioural responses of mosquitoes to volatiles of Silene otites (Caryophyllaceae)

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Abstract

In order to understand the biological significance of flower odour for attraction of mosquitoes, electrophysiological responses to headspace flower odour samples of Silene otites (L.) Wibel were investigated on Culex pipiens pipiens biotype molestus Forskal 1775 and Aedes aegypti L. using coupled gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD). No remarkable differences in antennal responses to the odour compounds have been found between these two mosquito species. Further, the behavioural attractiveness of the electrophysiologically active compounds, singly or as multiple odour mixtures, was evaluated with bioassay experiments with C. pipiens molestus. In bioassays, C. pipiens responded to 14 electrophysiologically active compounds in different magnitudes (65–20%) and acetophenone, linalool oxide (pyranoid), phenyl acetaldehyde and phenylethyl alcohol were found as more attractive in comparison to the least attractive compound, hexanol. In two-stimulus choice test, mosquitoes were significantly more attracted to the mixture of the four most attractive compounds compared to the mixture of all 14 compounds. The results of present study confirm that floral odours are attractive cues for mosquitoes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Sigrid Liede-Schumann for supporting this study. Taina Witt gave valuable comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. Karlheinz Seifert provided authentic standard compounds. We are grateful to Siju K. Purayil and Majid Ghaninia for providing eggs of Aedes aegypti. The comments of an anonymous reviewer were helpful in improving the manuscript. Umma Salma Jhumur was funded by the German Research Foundation (Research Training Group 678).

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  1. Department of Plant Systematics, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany

    Umma Salma Jhumur & Stefan Dötterl

  2. HortResearch, Canterbury Research Centre, Gerald Street, PO Box 51, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand

    Andreas Jürgens

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  1. Umma Salma Jhumur
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  2. Stefan Dötterl
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  3. Andreas Jürgens
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Correspondence to Umma Salma Jhumur.

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Jhumur, U.S., Dötterl, S. & Jürgens, A. Electrophysiological and behavioural responses of mosquitoes to volatiles of Silene otites (Caryophyllaceae). Arthropod-Plant Interactions 1, 245–254 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-007-9022-3

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