page_title: Aedes taeniorhynchus
section_title: Habitat
hierarchical_section_title: Aedes taeniorhynchus / Habitat
caption_attribution_description: English: Distichlis spicata; Mesquite Sand Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park
context_page_description: Aedes taeniorhynchus, or the black salt marsh mosquito, is a mosquito in the family Culicidae. It is a carrier for encephalitic viruses including Venezuelan equine encephalitis and can transmit Dirofilaria immitis. It resides in the Americas and is known to bite mammals, reptiles, and birds. Like other mosquitoes, Ae. taeniorhynchus adults survive on a combination diet of blood and sugar, with females generally requiring a blood meal before laying eggs.
  This mosquito has been studied to investigate its development, physiological markers, and behavioral patterns, including periodic cycles for biting, flight, and swarming. This species is noted for developing in periodic cycles, with high sensitivity to light and flight patterns that result in specific wingbeat frequencies that allow for both species detection and sex distinction.
  Ae. taeniorhynchus is known to be a pest to humans and mechanisms for controlling Ae. taeniorhynchus populations have been developed. The United States has spent millions of dollars to control and contain Ae. taeniorhynchus.
context_section_description: Ae. taeniorhynchus resides in habitats with a temporary water source, making mangrove and salt marshes or other areas with moist soil popular locations for egg laying and immature growth. These habitats are highly variable but often have high salinity with an observed soluble salt content in soil of at least 1644 ppm.
  In the case of environmental conditions of dryness and low temperatures which are unfavorable for egg hatching, eggs can remain dormant for years. Factors controlling the scale of A. taeniorhynchus growth during pre-emergence depend on environmental conditions matching moisture level and temperature. In Southern Florida, the main factors are tide height and amount of rainfall, while sites in California rely on tide height alone. In Virginia, these factors are limited to levels of rainfall and temperature. Generally favorable factors can turn negative at extreme values, causing survival rate to decline. Excess water washes mosquito eggs away and extremely high temperatures can lead to water source evaporation.
  This species exhibits sensitivity to temperature, with differences found for constant, split, and alternating temperatures. At constant temperatures of 22, 27, and 32 °C, life span increased with temperature, but at split temperatures, mosquitoes were also split between life and death. At different temperatures, the rate of aging was independent in males, but higher for females living at 22 and 27 °C. At alternating temperatures, life spans were temperature independent for all sexes and temperatures, except for favoring of alternation between 22 and 27 °C by females.
  Breeding locations for Ae. taeniorhynchus are often in contact with vegetation such as Distichlis spicata (spike grass) and Spartina patens (salt meadow hay) in grass salt marshes and Batis maritima (saltwort) and species from the Salicornia genus (glassworts) in mangroves. This species of mosquito is found in close proximity to other mosquitoes that reside in marches. These include Aedes sollicitans (eastern salt marsh mosquito), Anopheles bradleyi, and A. atropos.
caption: Mating sites for Aedes taeniorhynchus are often in contact with Distichlis spicata
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