Uranotaenia novobscura ryukyuana (Diptera: Culicidae) Population Dynamics are Denso-Dependent and Autonomous from Weather Fluctuations

Larvae of the mosquito Uranotaenia novobscura ryukyuana Tanaka et al., have been reported in tree-holes, bamboo stumps, and artificial water containers. So far, no study has addressed the role that density dependence and weather fluctuations could have played in the abundance of this nonvector mosquito. A year-long study was conducted on the population dynamics of this mosquito using oviposition traps in Okinawa, Japan. Time series analysis and the Ricker population model were used to analyze the association between mosquito density and population growth and fluctuations in relative humidity, temperature, and rainfall. Our results suggest that Ur. novobscura ryukyuana has stable denso-dependent dynamics, which are autonomous from weather fluctuations. Our results were opposite to patterns observed in other subtropical mosquito species, whose population dynamics might be partially driven by weather fluctuations, thus highlighting the diversity of responses that mosquitoes can have to changing environments.