title: The effect of moonlight and other factors on the oviposition cycle of malaria vectors in Madang, Papua New Guinea.
abstract: A series of capture-recapture experiments were undertaken in a coastal village of Papua New Guinea throughout a complete lunar cycle at the end of the dry season in 1987. The duration of the oviposition cycle of mosquitoes released blood-fed in their village of capture was 2.04 days at the full moon and increased to 2.4 days during moonless periods. Mosquitoes displaced 4 km from their village of origin demonstrated an oviposition cycle of longer duration than that of mosquitoes displaced 0-1.5 km. Approximately 25% of Anopheles farauti dispersed between adjacent villages. Significantly fewer An. koliensis dispersed. Unfed mosquitoes suffered a high pre-release mortality but had a similar oviposition cycle to those which were released blood-fed, suggesting that they did not experience any difficulty in obtaining a blood meal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Entomology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, U.K.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Birley
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Charlwood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000502:physiology*; D008027:Light; D008288:Malaria / Q000635:transmission*; D010058:Oviposition; D010219:Papua New Guinea; D010507:Periodicity; D011891:Rain