Abstract

Microhabitat temperatures experienced by nocturnally active Culex tarsalis Coquillett mosquitoes were measured in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California. Temperatures of the diurnal resting shelter and nocturnal activity air space were measured by digital recorder at three Cx. tarsalis habitats in Kern County. Temperatures measured by digital recorders agreed well with temperatures recorded concurrently at nearby California Irrigation Management and Inspection System weather stations. Monthly temperatures among habitats were combined to depict the diel temperature regimen experienced by female Cx. tarsalis as a consequence of daily movement between the diurnal resting shelter and nocturnal air space. Transitions between the two microhabitats corresponded to the times of mosquito ingress and egress (i.e., sunrise and sunset). The composite daily temperature mean ranged from 7.4 degrees C in December to 21.5 degrees C in July, and temperature extremes seldom exceeded a daily maximum of 25.0 degrees C during the summer or dropped below a daily minimum of 5.0 degrees C during the winter. Overall, mosquitoes occupied a composite thermal environment where the extrinsic incubation of an arbovirus would have occurred at ambient temperatures that were cooler than either the diurnal resting shelter or activity air space.