Feeding-Site Selection and Blood-Feeding Behavior of Aedes Triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae) on Rodent (Sciuridae) Hosts1

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Abstract
Behavior of Aedes triseriatus mosquitoes leading to selection of a feeding site and subsequent blood feeding on anesthetized Eastern Chipmunks and Gray Squirrels consisted of 3 hierarchic levels: (1) indiscriminate initial landing on a host; (2) random foraging on a host for a feeding site; and (3) nonrandom probing for a blood vessel. Feeding sites selected were limited to ears, eyelids, nose, and feet, where host hair was short and sparse. Clumped distributions of probing and feeding times suggest that natural selection has favored Ae. triseriatus females that rapidly locate blood vessels and quickly blood feed.