Hi

What you mean is hydrophobicity - i.e. the tip of the siphon of the larva is hydrophobic having a waxy rim that helps prevent water covering and entering the siphon opening. I'm travelling at the moment but I can probably find you some references that will help when I return to my office next week

Regards, Ian

You could look at papers describing the different types of oils that kill mosquito larvae by interfering with hydrophobicity. Many types of oils are known to interfere with this phenomena, thus causing the larvae to suffocate and die.

Thank you very much! As shown in the picture below. The mosquito larvae attachment itself on the water surface. I want to know why it can attachment itself on the woter surfac. I guess there is some hydrophobicity areas on the tail end. I want to find papers discussed the structure and surface properties of the tail end.

Hi

There is very little modern literature on this subject beyond studies looking at ways to overcome the hydrophobic effects of the siphon terminal structures, such as the kind of article David refers to. For most of the information you require you should look in some of the older tropical entomology text books because they give a lot of information on basic structures and references to early anatomy studies. For a recent study try reading the following article because that covers what you are looking for.

Lee SC, Kim JH, Lee SJ. Floating of the lobes of mosquito (Aedes togoi) larva for respiration. Scientific Reports. 2017;7:43050. doi:10.1038/srep43050.

Regards, Ian

Hi, Burgess. Thank you very much. I have downloaded the paper. It is the paper I need.

Elution Patterns From Capillary GC For Methyl-Branched Alkanes

Article

• Nov 1998
• Journal of Chemical Ecology
• David Arthur Carlson
• Ulrich Bernier
• Bruce D. Sutt

Cuticular hydrocarbons of mosquitoes have been studied by me and others using modern capillary-column GC-MS instruments. This was way before DNA, and we started applying hydrocarbon structures and quantities for identification of cryptic species groups. This subject below is still a problem. Mosquitoes synthesize mostly odd-numbered alkanes and alkenes of 15- to 35- carbons, with some methyl branching at odd-numbered carbons: (3-, 5-, 7-, 9-). Early computer programs were highly challenged by identification of these compounds, thus the use of detailed retention indices. (Elution patterns for methyl-branched alkanes, J. Chemical Ecology, Carlson et al., as above). I would not expect exotic chemical structures in air siphons of larvae and pupae, as most mosquito hydrocarbons are structurally rather similar. But it would be interesting to see the results!

Differentiation between species of the Anopheles gambiae complex (Diptera-Culicidae) by analysis of cuticular hydrocarbons

Article in Pathogens and Global Health 73:(9):589-52 · December 1979DOI: 10.1080/00034983.1979.11687301

• 📷David Arthur Carlson📷M W Service

Hi, Carlson. Thank you very much! I am interesting in this problem. However, I knom little about it. I will read the papers you recommended.