Folia Parasitologica 67:005 (2020) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2020.005

Cannibalism in mosquito larvae during microbial larvicide potency tests

Igor Uspensky, Sergei Braun*
Department of Biological Chemistry, A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
* deceased

We observed instances of cannibalism (intraspecific predation) among intra-instar larvae of Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 while performing a bioassay of Lysinibacillus sphaericus (formerly named Bacillus sphaericus) larvicide, when the larvae were exposed to the larvicide for 48 h in the absence of food. Larvae without symptoms of poisoning attacked and devoured those visibly affected. Cannibalism was more prevalent in 1st-2nd instar larvae than in 3rd-4th instar. This phenomenon should be taken into account when interpreting the results of larvicide bioassays, especially when the exposure lasts over 24 h. The necessity of creating optimal conditions for organisms tested is emphasised.

Keywords: bioassay, larval feeding, larval starvation, intraspecific predation, Culex pipiens, Lysinibacillus sphaericus (Bacillus sphaericus)

Received: February 23, 2019; Revised: December 4, 2019; Accepted: December 13, 2019; Published online: January 1, 2020  Show citation

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Uspensky, I., & Braun, S. (2020). Cannibalism in mosquito larvae during microbial larvicide potency tests. Folia Parasitologica, 67, Article 2020.005. https://doi.org/10.14411/fp.2020.005
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