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Influence of oviposition water background colours on egg laying in gravid anopheles gambiae s.s. (diptera: culicidae)

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Abstract

The influence of five different water background colours on oviposition by gravid female Anopheles gambiae s.s., was investigated using a 5 × 5 randomized laboratory experiment. Water with same physico-chemical properties namely, temperature, pH, conductivity, and turbidity, in five different coloured oviposition containers, was presented to 30 gravid female Anopheles gambiae s.s. mosquitoes in each of the five mosquito cages. The influence of water background colour on oviposition behaviour by gravid Anopheles gambiae s.s., was determined by differences in mean egg counts in each container. Gravid Anopheles gambiae s.s., deposited more eggs in water in red-coloured containers than in any other containers. The order of preference was, red (43%) > black (23%) > blue (16%) > green (11%) > yellow (7%). Both one-way ANOVA [p = 0.004 (F = 4.02), P < 0.05 at 95%CI] and Tukey post hoc test showed significance at 95%CI. It is concluded that water background colours influence oviposition in gravid Anopheles gambiae s.s. It is recommended that field experiments are conducted throughout the different seasons of Zambia in order to understand how background colour of water under field conditions, affects oviposition site selection by gravid Anopheles gambiae s.s.

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Data Availability

Data used and/ or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support rendered by Dr. Elizabeth Chizema-Kawesha, Director of the Zambia National Malaria Elimination Centre (ZNMEC) in Lusaka, Zambia and her staff too many to mention but led by Mr. Willy Ngulube, for offering laboratory space for three years to allow us undertake this work as well as providing mosquitoes (Anopheles gambiae s.s., Kisumu strain) needed for this study. We also acknowledge the support of the academic, technical and administrative staff in the Department of Biological Sciences, of the University of Zambia, whose contribution greatly contributed to the undertaking of this work. Finally, but by no means the least, we thank the University of Zambia Administration through the Head of the Department of Biological Sciences and the Dean of the School of Natural Sciences for their unwavering support that saw us complete this study.

Funding

This study was undertaken as part of a PhD Research by JSP under the supervision of Professor KJM, PhD, Professor of Entomology, School of Natural Resources, Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Zambia (UNZA), Lusaka, Zambia.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

    James S Phiri & Keith J Mbata

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  1. James S Phiri
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Contributions

JSP, developed the Concept, undertook the work, and wrote the Manuscript.

KJM, Supervised the study, corrected the Concept and edited the Manuscript.

Both authors confirm that they read, and approved the Manuscript for publication.

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Correspondence to James S Phiri.

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Phiri, J.S., Mbata, K.J. Influence of oviposition water background colours on egg laying in gravid anopheles gambiae s.s. (diptera: culicidae). Int J Trop Insect Sci 43, 527–532 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-023-00957-0

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