FUNCTIONAL RESPONSE AND LARVAL PREDATION OF TOXORHYNCHITES MOCTEZUMA ON AEDES AEGYPTI IN SINALOA, MEXICO

ABSTRACT Toxorhynchites larvae are obligate predators of mosquito immatures and may provide a complementary tool for Aedes control. We evaluated larval predation and the functional response of Toxorhynchites moctezuma against Aedes aegypti under laboratory conditions in Sinaloa, Mexico. Individual predators were exposed for 24 h to 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100 prey larvae, with 5 replicates per density and no prey replacement. Mean consumption increased from 9.0 ± 1.41 larvae at a density of 10 to 80.2 ± 1.92 at a density of 100. Logistic regression supported a Type II functional response, and the Rogers random predator model estimated an attack rate of 0.0742 ± 0.0188 h −1 . The handling-time estimate was highly uncertain and was not considered robust. These results demonstrate substantial laboratory predation by Tx. moctezuma and support further field evaluation of this locally occurring predator as a potential component of integrated Aedes management in Sinaloa.