C. Roxanne Connelly

Countering a Bioterrorist Introduction of Pathogen-Infected Mosquitoes Through Mosquito Control

Abstract The release of infected mosquitoes or other arthropods by bioterrorists, i.e., arboterrorism, to cause disease and terror is a threat to the USA. A workshop to assess mosquito control response capabilities to mount rapid and effective responses to eliminate an arboterrorism attack provided recommendations to improve capabilities in the USA. It is essential that mosquito control professionals receive training in possible responses, and it is recommended that a Council for Emergency Mosquito Control be established in each state to coordinate training, state resources, and actions for use throughout the state.

The Spread of Culex coronator (Diptera: Culicidae) Throughout Florida

Since 2005, there have been numerous reports of Culex coronator Dyar and Knab well outside of small geographic areas in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, the range reported by Darsie and Ward (2005). Debboun et al. (2005) collected Cx. coronator in southwestern Louisiana at Fort Polk from several sites from spring to fall of 2004. Culex coronator was reported to be well-established in ten central and southern Mississippi counties (Varnado et al. 2005, Goddard et al. 2006). Smith et al. (2006) reported the species from four Florida counties and two additional Florida counties in 2008 (Smith 2008). McNelly et al. (2007) and Gray et al. (2008) reported collections of this species from south Alabama. Moulis et al. (2008) found this species in South Carolina and Georgia in 2007 and additional sites in three Georgia counties were reported in 2008 (Kelly et al. 2008). Carpenter and LaCasse (1955) reported that Cx. coronator larvae occur in rain-filled pools and artificial containers. Recent collections of Cx. coronator larvae have been reported from a variety of habitats including roadside ditches, spring-fed and rainfilled pools (Goddard et al. 2006), containers (Gray et al. 2008), a seepage pool near brackish marshland in South Carolina (Moulis et al. 2008), storm sewers (Manrique-Saide et al. 2012), and tires (Yee et al. 2012). The most recently published taxonomic keys used in Florida do not show Cx. coronator as occurring in the state (Darsie and Morris 2003, Darsie and Ward 2005) and Darsie and Morris (2003) do not include Cx. coronator in the Keys to the Adult Females and Fourth Instar Larvae of the Mosquitoes of Florida. Working with specimens of Cx. coronator, and following the current version of Darsie and Morris (2003), one would be faced with a choice between Culex tarsalis Coquillett and Culex bahamensis Dyar and Knab. Both species in the key and Cx. coronator have hind tarsomeres with basal and apical rings of pale scales, so Cx. coronator might be misidentified as either Cx. bahamensis or Cx. tarsalis. The extent of misidentification of Cx. coronator in Florida is unknown. Once it was recognized that this species was being misidentified, O’Meara and Connelly provided a list of characters and a comparison chart for distinguishing Cx. tarsalis from Cx. coronator for anyone attempting to identify Florida mosquitoes. Host-feeding patterns suggest that Cx. coronator feeds primarily on mammals but birds may also be a source for blood (reviewed by Mackay et al. 2010). To our knowledge, Cx. coronator has not yet been incriminated as a vector of arthropod-borne viruses in Florida, but West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in this species in nature from Louisiana (Mackay et al. 2008, Unlu et al. 2010), underscoring the importance of properly identifying this species and its distribution. Also, Cx. coronator has been found to be naturally infected with St. Louis encephalitis virus (Anderson et al. 1957) and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (Scherer et al. 1971, Sudia and Newhouse 1975). During an investigation of the vector potential of Cx. coronator in Florida, Alto et al. (2014) reported Cx. coronator to be a competent vector of WNV under some conditions. An assessment of vector competence was made by exposing adult females to WNV-infected blood with viral titers comparable to viremia profiles in avian hosts (Komar et al. 2003, GuerreroSánchez et al. 2011). This species was highly susceptible to infection and dissemination of WNV. At 28° C, the transmission rate was 28 – 67%; and up to 17% at 25° C. Post-blood feeding, this species can delay oviposition for weeks and will lay more eggs when the source of blood is from birds, factors that may facilitate its role as a vector of WNV (Shaman et al. 2005) and St. Louis encephalitis virus (Day and Curtis 1999, Shaman et al. 2002). The geographic expansion of the range of Cx. coronator in Florida is reported here.

ASPIRATOR MODIFICATION FOR THE REMOVAL OF MOSQUITOES FROM TIGHT SPACES

ABSTRACT An insect aspirator was modified to remove mosquitoes that entered an animal-baited experimental cage within a cage. The modified aspirator is easy to maneuver inside tight spaces, powerful enough to aspirate mosquitoes but not remove scales or fluorescent marking powders, and will run continuously for at least 45 min.

First Record of Aedes japonicus In Florida

ABSTRACT The presence of Aedes j. japonicus in Florida is reported for the first time. Four adult females were collected by a Mosquito Magnet® X trap baited with pressurized CO2 in Okaloosa County, FL, in August 2012 and later identified as Ae. japonicus in 2014. Additional adult and larval specimens were collected during 2014–17 from Bay, Leon, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, or Walton counties, Florida. Notes are provided on the location, general habitats, and mosquito associates that may be found with Ae. japonicus in northwestern Florida. The role of Ae. japonicus in arbovirus transmission within Florida is currently unknown and should be further explored.