Mermithid parasites of the mosquito Aedes vexans Meigen in British Columbia

Abstract
Newly emerged and apparently healthy female adults of Aedes vexans Meigen were collected in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, After they had fed once on man at the time of collection and daily on guinea pigs thereafter in the laboratory, they were found to be infected with mermithid worms that developed rapidly at 25 °C. The parasites suppressed ovarian development and caused nearly 100% mortality within 10 days. They started to leave morbid hosts within 7 days. More detailed studies of the life cycle of the mermithid parasites are needed to assess their effectiveness and specificity in the biological control of A. vexans.

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