RELEASE OF MESOCYCLOPS-ASPERICORNIS (COPEPODA) FOR CONTROL OF LARVAL AEDES-POLYNESIENSIS (DIPTERA, CULICIDAE) IN LAND CRAB BURROWS ON AN ATOLL OF FRENCH-POLYNESIA

On Tereia Island, Rangiroa Atoll, 14,321 land crab burrows were treated with the copepod Mesocyclops aspericornis from january to June 1986, to control larvae of Aedes polynesiensis marks. In October 1987, the entire island of Tereia was retreated (17,300 burrows), and the neighboring island, Voisin, was left untreated as a control. From 5 to 15 mo after treatment, burrows with M. aspericornis contained an average of 2 Ae. polynesiensis immatures compared with 97 immatures from untreated burrows. Long-term larval control was successful in low-lying areas where burrows remained wet or were reflooded. Although there may have been other contributing factors, the major reason for lack of persistence of M. aspericornis in burrows over the entire island appeared to be poor resistance to desiccation. From all treated burrows in October 1987, M. aspericornis subsequently was found in 89.5, 39. 1, and 24. 1% of burrows sampled 5, 8, and 15 mo after treatment, respectively. The broad-scale results for Tereia indicated that there was no reduction of adult biting indices when compared with Voisin. Mark-release experiments on four occasions indicated that Ae. polynesiensis had a limited flight range and that the probability for interisland movement was low.