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The effect of color and environment on mosquito oviposition and biodiversity under semi-field conditions

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Abstract

Adequate knowledge of mosquito behavior can aid in the prevention of numerous diseases that they are capable of transmitting. Therefore, a comprehensive research was designed to study the effects of color and some environmental factors on the oviposition behavior and biodiversity of mosquitoes for the first time in Iran. This study was conducted in seven different locations in Shiraz city, south of Iran. Two experimental groups were included: Group 1 received well water, and Group 2 received processed water, which were applied into 28 identical containers of different colors in each group. After oviposition, the larvae were collected and identified using taxonomic keys. A total of 1386 mosquitoes were collected, with the dominant species being Culex quinquefasciatus (65.10%). The specimens collected from processed water (84.06%) were significantly higher compared to those collected from well water (15.94%) (p=0.003). The oviposition behavior of mosquitoes in aquatic habitats was completely selective based on the amount of organic matter present. The most attractive colors for mosquito oviposition were black and blue. Fig trees showed an attractant property for the oviposition of almost all mosquitoes, while medlar trees had a deterrent effect. Among all studied species, Culex perexiguus and Culex antennatus displayed completely different behavior compared to others. In conclusion, the preferred colors for mosquito oviposition (black and blue) can be used as an oviposition stimulant for almost all species and can be incorporated as the background color of ovitraps. Furthermore, colors that exhibit repellent properties can also be used as an inexpensive and environmentally friendly behavioral control tool for painting artificial mosquito oviposition sites.

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Data availability

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are thankful for the assistance of vice-chancellorship for research and technology at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). This study was an approved research project (Grant No: 98-01-04-21152) funded by the SUMS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

    Parisa Moazzeni, Mona Tangsiri, Parisa Soltan-Alinejad & Marzie Shahriari-Namdadi

  2. Center for Environmental Research and Sustainable Technology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Elaheh Daghighi

  3. Research Center for Health Sciences, Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Health, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

    Aboozar Soltani

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  1. Parisa Moazzeni
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  2. Mona Tangsiri
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  3. Parisa Soltan-Alinejad
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  4. Marzie Shahriari-Namdadi
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  5. Elaheh Daghighi
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  6. Aboozar Soltani
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Contributions

AS designed and conceptualized the study. PM, PSA, MT, and MSN, conducted the entomological surveys on the field. Also, AS analyzed data. PM, MSN, ED and AS drafted the manuscript. All the authors participated in writing the manuscript. All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aboozar Soltani.

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Ethical approval

The project was done in accordance to the ethical principles and the national norms and standards for conducting Medical Research in Iran. The study was approved by Iran national Committee for Ethics in biomedical research (Approval ID: IR.SUMS.REC. 1398.1369).

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Moazzeni, P., Tangsiri, M., Soltan-Alinejad, P. et al. The effect of color and environment on mosquito oviposition and biodiversity under semi-field conditions. Int J Trop Insect Sci 43, 1049–1057 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-023-01023-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-023-01023-5

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