ABSTRACT: Occurrence patterns of mosquito immatures and insect predators in containers of various sizes
were surveyed in summer (June-July) and autumn (September) of 1998 in a rural area of Saga, southwestern
Japan. Mosquitoes were categorized into three types in relation to habitat size. First, Aedes (Stegomyia) spp.
and Tripteroides bambusa occurred mostly in small containers of < 0.1 m2
. Second, Ae. japonicus and Culex
kyotoensis occurred in larger container sizes, compared with the first group. Third, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and
Anopheles sinensis occurred in rice fields in summer and in large containers in the autumn. Predators such as
Notonectidae, Anisoptera nymphs, and Chaoborus sp. and a predaceous mosquito Cx. halifaxii occurred mainly
in large (D0.1 m2
) containers. The mosquitoes of the third group showed similarities with predators in the
occurrence of each habitat type, and they frequently co-occurred with predators. The mosquitoes of the first
group showed less similarity with predators in habitat type preference, and they rarely co-occurred with predators.
The second group mosquitoes showed intermediate patterns of the first and the third groups. Journal of Vector
Ecology 27(1): 8-20. 2002.
Keyword Index: Container, habitat size, mosquito, insect predator, Aedes japonicus, Aedes albopictus