Comparison of recapture patterns of marked and released Aedes vexans and Ae. melanimon (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Sacramento Valley of California.

Recapture patterns of Aedes vexans (Meigen) and Aedes melanimon Dyar were compared in a mark-release-recapture study conducted on the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, Colusa County, California, from 15 August to 2 September 1988. The 2.0% recapture rate for Ae. vexans females was significantly greater than the 0.9% rate for Ae. melanimon females. Daily survivorship of 0.70 for Ae. vexans females was significantly lower than the 0.84 estimate for Ae. melanimon. The two species had different patterns of dispersal. On day 1, when the majority of marked females of both species were recaptured, the mean dispersal distance for Ae. vexans females was significantly greater than that for Ae. melanimon. The cumulative dispersal distance for Ae. vexans females decreased over the study period. In contrast, Ae. melanimon dispersal distances increased gradually over time.