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

Vinogradova, E.B. Culex pipiens pipiens mosquitoes: taxonomy, distribution, ecology, physiology, genetics, applied importance and control. Pensoft Series Parasitologica No 2. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia-Moscow. 250pp. 2000. ISBN 9546421030 (in English). (Available through Pensoft Online Bookshop http://www.pensoft.net)

The book represents a major summary of the various aspects of Culex pipiens pipiens mosquitoes, a group that influences adversely many kinds of human activities in the northern and temperate zones and is also of fundamental practical importance in general and veterinary medicine. The author pursues several well-defined objectives: first, to summarize and review the many thousands of papers on the subject scattered in countless journals, both Western and Russian, and to provide the reader with a considered opinion on particular questions; second, to make foreign colleagues familiar with the enormous work performed in the former Soviet Union and the present Commonwealth of Independent States on the study and control of mosquitoes, which remains still poorly known due to language barriers, and, third, to generally portray C. p. pipiens based on the knowledge acquired by numerous field and laboratory observations.

Structure of the complex; laboratory and natural hybridization; isozymic analysis of the complex; discriminant analysis in diagnostics of the C. pipiens complex members; history of investigation and the identification of autogenous and anautogenous forms of C. p. pipiens; geographical and zonal distribution of C. p. pipiens; economic activity of man and C. pipiens complex mosquitoes; spreading in C. pipiens mosquitoes.

Biology of reproduction: gonotrophic concordance and dissociation, their hormonal control; morphological and functional changes in the ovarioles; blood-feeding and oviposition patterns in the laboratory and fecundity; seasonal and daily patterns of the oviposition in nature and oviposition place choice; sources of adult feeding and the host-seeking behavior; autogeny and controlling factors; resting places; swarming, mating and insemination; circadian rhythms. Seasonal development: hibernation adaptations; photoperiodic and temperature control of diapause; inheritance of diapause in crossing between members of the complex; phenology, seasonal prevalence and biting activity; development of immature stages and its control. Features of larval habitats and their classification.

CHAPTER 3. CHARACTERISTICS OF NATURAL POPULATIONS OF C. P. PIPIENS IN RUSSIA AND NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES

Some morphological features and their variation; crossing between autogenous and anautogenous strains and the inheritance of some features; allozyme polymorphism of mosquitoes (C. p.pipiens, C.torrentium and C. vagans); morphological and biological characteristics of C. p. pipiens populations (homogeneous populations; mixed, intermediate and nontypical populations); intraspecific forms and isolating mechanisms in C. p. pipiens.

Chromosomal heredity: cytogenetics and molecular genetics; sex determination; mutations and genetic maps; genetics of autogeny; genetics of insecticide resistance; cytoplasmic incomatibility: phenomenology of cytoplasmic incompatibility; symbionts as a reason of incompatibility.

Medical and veterinary significance: lymphatic filariasis; arbovirus diseases; protozoan infections; other infections. Natural enemies: viruses, bacteria and cyanobacteria; entomopathogenous fungi; protozoa and vermes; insects, spiders and crustacea; larvivorous fishes; high plants and algae. Integrated control system: chemical agents; biological agents; microbial insecticides; insect growth regulators; genetic control; sanitary-entomological and hydrotechnical measures.

		*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