• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.112-117
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• 2014

Predation efficiency and preference of the hydrophilid water beetle, Hydrochara affinis (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae), larvae on two mosquito species, Culex pipiens molestus and Ochlerotatus togoi, were tested under laboratory conditions. Experiments were conducted in a transparent cylindrical plastic container (diameter, 100 mm; height, 40 mm; water level, 15 mm) for 24 hours (16 h, light; 8 h, dark) at $25^{\circ}C$. The predation efficiency of H. affinis on mosquito larvae was investigated under various prey conditions (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128 larvae) with five replicates. Further, in order to investigate the prey preference on two mosquito species, each 32 larvae of C. pipiens molestus and O. togoi were provided simultaneously for the first instar larva of H. affinis with 5 replicates. As a result, the predation curves of H. affinis on two mosquito species were logarithmic; and the number of consumed prey increased as the number of predator instars were increased. As predicted from the predation curves, the estimated maximum number of C. pipiens molestus and O. togoi consumed by a third instar larva of H. affinis per a day was 926 and 304 larvae, respectively. As predicted from the Holling's disk equation, the differences in consumed prey number between predator instars and prey species were caused by handling time rather than attack rate. Handling time decreased rapidly as the predator larvae grew, and that of O. togoi was twice longer than that of C. pipiens molestus.