Growth and Survival of Invasive Aedes albopictus Larvae on Diospyros virginiana Leaves

Studies oil the interactions of exotic species with their invaded environment are imperative inunderstanding their invasion biology. Larvae of container mosquitoes such as them invasive Aedes albopictus (Skuse) feed oil microorganisms that subsist oil allochthonous input like leaves. Ae. albopictus are vectors for many diseases including West Nile virus and are rapidly expanding their distribution inthe United States. We tested the larval performance of Ae. albopictus at different larval densities in maple, oak, American elm, and persimmon. Survival was significantly lower and days to pupation were significantly higher with persimmon leaves compared with in others. ina follow-up experiment, we compared the performance of Ae. albopictus indifferent amounts of oak and persimmon and different ratios of persimmon + oak. The linear model for the growth rate (defined by larval head width) showed a positive slope as the amount of oak leaves increased in oak treatment. but there was no significant slope for persimmon. inthe persimmon + oak combination. as the ratio of persimmon to oak increased, the growth rates of the larvae decreased. Lack of a significant slope for survival rate incombination with the results from the growth rate indicated that persimmon was a poor nutritional resource for Ae. albopictus.