Osmotic effects as a factor modifying insecticide toxicity on Aedes and Artemia

Euryhaline species are more tolerant of various insecticides under isosmotic conditions. Two euryhaline species, Aedes taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann) and Artemia sp., were exposed to four insecticides (aldicarb, dimethoate, imidacloprid, tebufenozide), under isosmotic and hyperosmotic conditions. Mortality under these two osmotic conditions was observed and compared to evaluate salinity as a contributing factor to insecticide toxicity. Artemia was more tolerant of all chemicals tested than A. taeniorhynchus under isosmotic conditions based on the percentage mortality observed. Mortality of Artemia under isosmotic conditions was dependent on the length of exposure; A. taeniorhynchus did not exhibit time dependence. Less mortality was observed in populations of both test species under isosmotic conditions compared with hyperosmotic conditions. However, the variation in mortality due to exposure to test chemicals was of greater magnitude in A. taeniorhynchus than Artemia. This result indicates that higher salinity is a greater stress on A. taeniorhynchus than Artemia when exposed to the test insecticides at the concentration ranges tested in this study. (C) 1998 Academic Press.