Mosquito Larvae (Culiseta longiareolata) Prey Upon and Compete with Toad Tadpoles (Bufo viridis)

Abstract

1. We tested experimentally for interactions between mosquito larvae, Culiseta longiareolata, and green toad immatures, Bufo viridis, the two most abundant macrospecies of temporary pools in the Negev Desert, Israel. Since both appear to feed largely on periphyton, and since they co-occur in extremely high densities, competition for food may occur. 2. In artificial outdoor pools, we followed the fate of first-instar Culiseta larvae (50 per litre) and early-stage tadpoles (5 per litre) in the presence or absence of the other species over 1 month. These densities were well within the range of densities found in natural pools. We replicated each treatment five times. 3. Survival of neither species was affected by the other species