Mosquitoes Culex pipiens pipiens: taxonomy, distribution, ecology, physiology, genetics and control

		*Laboratory of* Experimental Entomology and BioControl Theory Russia, 199034, St.-Petersburg, Zoological Institute. Phone: +7 (812) 714 0442; Fax: +7 (812) 714 0444; E-mail: sreznik@zin.ru

Mosquitoes Culex pipiens pipiens:
taxonomy, distribution, ecology, physiology, genetics and control

Project conducted by E.B. Vinogradova.

Vinogradova E.B. 1997. Mosquitoes of the Culex pipiens complex in Russia (the distribution, taxonomy, ecology, physiology, genetics, applied significance and the control). Proceedings of ZIN RAS. Vol. 271. 307 pp. (in Russian)

Population ecology of the urban mosquito, Culex pipiens pipiens f. molestus in Saint-Petersburg

The monitoring on the local populations of the urban mosquito, Cx. pipiens pipiens f. molestus was realized for the first time in St.-Petersburg (Russia) in 1999-2006. It included the estimation of the autogeny rate, mean fecundity and wing length (size) of females, relation between females and males and siphonal index of larvae. The mosquitoes were found in 27 of 39 studied basements of dwelling houses in five city districts. The permanent populations may exist whole year round only in heated basements flooded by sewage or mixed waters with high organic pollution and temperatures within 10-34°C. The majority of the local populations is characterized by high autogeny rate, 80-100% of females oviposit the first egg batch without blood-feeding causing the existence of autonomous local populations over a long period. The mean wing length and the mean fecundity differ both between and within local populations varying from 3.1 to 5.4 mm and from 32.9 to 105.7 eggs per female, correspondingly. The significant positive correlation was recorded between autogeny rate and fecundity, and the wing length of females. The wing length is affected by the temperature and pollution of basement waters during the larval development of mosquitoes. Monitoring on the local populations of the urban mosquitoes in St.-Petersburg showed that they are characterized by high reproductive potential, normal relation between sexes and absence of any infections. The sanitary, hydrotechnical (especially drainage of basements) and mosquito control measures are necessary for lowering of the abundance of mosquitoes and restriction of their further settling within city.

Molecular markers in the identification of some members of Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes

Molecular-genetic methods of identification of some members of Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes occurring in Russia were worked out in cooperation with E.V. Shaikevich (N.I. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics). These are the Cx. pipiens pipiens (pipiens and molestus forms) and Cx. torrentium. In all, 40 collections of mosquitoes were made in 30 localities, and 1062 individuals were studied. Cx. p. pipiens is always infected by endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis (70-100% infection) and characterized by mitotype M with five substitutions among 246 nucleotides in 3’ end of COI gene of mtDNA, whereas Cx. torrentium is never infected by Wolbachia and has mitotype P. After SspI restriction two fragments 221 and 90 bp were obtained from Cx. p. pipiens, but the same region of COI gene in Cx. torrentium remained uncut. Comparison of PCR products of ITS2 showed that ITS2 of Cx. p.pipiens exceeds that of Cx. torrentium approximately in 50 bp. In 5’ end of the mitochondrial COI gene BCLI restrictase may be used for the differentiation between Cx. p. pipiens (three fragments - 406, 118 and 79 bp) and Cx. torrentium (two fragments -524 and 79 bp).After restriction of amplificates of DNA of COI gene with endonuclease HaeIII two fragments (206 and 397 bp) were recorded in autogenous form (molestus), but 603 amplicon from anautogenous form (pipiens) remained unchanged. Mentioned markers were successfully used in study of biotopic and geographical distribution of members of Culex pipiens complex in European part of Russia. Homogenous and heterogenous populations of three members were revealed in overground and underground habitats. These markers allow refinement of the taxonomic rank of any developmental stages of mosquitoes.

Vinogradova E.B., Shaikevich E.V. 2007. Morphometric, physiological and molecular characteristics of under ground populations of the urban mosquito Culex pipiens f. molestus Forskal (Diptera: Culicidae) from several areas of Russia. European Mosquito Bulletin. 22: 17-24.

Vinogradova E.B., Shaikevich E.V., Ivanitsky A.V. 2007. A study of the distribution of the Culex pipiens complex (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes in the European part of Russia by molecular methods of identification. Comparative Cytogenetics. 1 (2): 129-138. PDF

Vinogradova E.B. and Karpova S.G. 2006. Effect of photoperiod and temperature on the autogeny rate, fecundity and wing length in the urban mosquito, Culex pipiens pipiens f. molestus (Diptera, Culicidae). Int. J. Dipterol. Res. 17 (1): 3-12.

Vinogradova E.B. and Karpova S.G. 2006. Exogenous control of autogeny in mosquitoes Proc. Zool. Inst. RAS, 310, 123-132.

Vinogradova E.B. and Karpova S.G. 2006. Mass rearing of mosquito Culex pipiens f. molestus without blood feeding: improvement of method. Parazitologia. 40(3): 306-311.

Shaikevich E.V, Vinogradova E.B., Platonov A.E. Karan L.S. and Zakharov I.A. 2005. Mitochondrial DNA polymorphism and infection by symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis in mosquitoes of Culex complex in Russia. Genetica. 41 (3): 320-325

Vinogradova E.B and Shaikevich E.V. 2005. Differentiation between the urban mosquito Culex pipiens pipiens f. molestus and Culex torrentium (Diptera, Culicidae) by molecular genetic methods. Parazitologia. 39 (6): 574-576.

Vinogradova E.B. 2005. Influence of carbohydrate diet, photoperiodic and temperature conditions on the manifestation of autogeny in the house mosquito Culex pipiens pipiens f. molestus (Diptera, Culicidae). Entomol. Review (Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie). 84 (2): 256-261.

Pismenniy K., Vinogradova E.B. and Karpova S.G. 2005. Distribution of the urban mosquito Culex pipiens pipiens f. molestus (Diptera, Culicidae) in Petrozavodsk city. Parazitologia. 39 (5): 432-435.

Vinogradova E.B., Shaikevich E.V. 2004. Molecular genetic methods of identification of the urban mosquito Culex pipiens pipiens f. molestus (Diptera, Culicidae). Parazitologia. 38(5): 406-412.

Vinogradova E.B. 2003. Seasonal pattern of oviposition in an unautogenous Culex pipiens pipiens L. population (Diptera, Culicidae) from Leningrad region. Parasitologia. No.5: 353-360.

Vinogradova E.B. 2003. Endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia pipientis in synanthropic populations of the mosquito Culex pipiens pipiens (Diptera, Culicidae). Rep. Rus. Acad. Sci. Vol. 389: 837-841.

Vinogradova E.B. 2003. Ecophysiological and morphological variations in mosquitoes of the Culex pipiens complex (Diptera, Culicidae). Acta Soc. Zool. Bohem. 67(1): 41-50.

Vinogradova E.B. I.A. Zakharov, E.V. Shaikevich. 2002. Endosymbiotic bacteria as an agent of cytoplasmic incompatibility in insects. Proc. Zool. Inst. RAS. Vol 296: 157-162.

Vinogradova E.B. 2001. Experimental study of the choice of oviposition place by the urban mosquito, Culex pipiens pipiens (f. molestus) (Diptera, Culicidae). Int. J. Dipterol. Res. 12(1): 3-7.

Vinogradova E.B. 2001. Reproductive pattern of the house mosquito Culex pipiens pipiens f. molestus (Diptera, Culicidae) from the St.Petersburg basements. Proc. Zool. Inst. RAS, Vol 289: 167-172.