The effectiveness of pond-breeding salamanders as agents of larval mosquito control

Abstract

Frogs and salamanders are well known predators on insects; however, the benefits of pest control attributed to them are usually based on anecdotes. Tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) larvae were collected from eight sites in northern Indiana and analyzed for stomach contents. The larval and pupal stages of mosquitoes made up the third largest component of the diet and were found in the stomachs of 26% of the tiger salamander larvae. During controlled feeding experiments in the laboratory, mosquito larvae were a preferred prey, and tiger salamander larvae were able to eat a mean of 144 mosquito larvae per day. An extrapolation of this figure suggests that a typical tiger salamander population could be an effective natural agent in the biological control of larval mosquito populations. © 2006, Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.