Vertical Distribution of Adult Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in a Northern Deciduous Forest in Indiana1

Abstract

The vertical distribution of mosquitoes inhabiting a northern deciduous forest in Indiana was examined using suction traps and human bait collections from a high tower. Suction traps were placed at different elevations and within 5 different microhabitats at the forest study site. Specific preferences by Aedes triseriatus, Ae. hendersoni, Ae. vexans, Anopheles barberi and Culex (Culex) spp. (Cx. pipiens pipiens, Cx. restuans) for discrete microhabitats were established. Males, and females not seeking a blood meal, were collected in numbers using suction traps. Temporal and spatial biting activity of Ae. triseriatus, Ae. hendersoni, Ae. vexans and Coquillettidia perturbans were established from 2 high tower sampling stations extending 21 m into the canopy, and 2 adjacent ground-based sampling stations.