Behavioural functions of grooming in male Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae), the Asian tiger mosquito

Flight, walking and resting behaviours of male Aedes albopictus (Skuse) were observed in a flight cage. These behaviours were also associated with repetitive acts of grooming. The effects of sugar meal and period of the day on the total duration, the frequency and the duration of each individual grooming behaviour were studied. Fed or unfed males were individually released in a transparent plastic flight cage and direct visual observations using Observer software were carried out for 2 h during the morning and 2 h in the afternoon. There was no significant difference in the grooming behaviour between morning and afternoon observations. Fed male mosquitoes groomed longer than unfed males. The sugar meal seemed an important influencing factor of the grooming behaviour by giving more energy and making different parts of the mosquito sticky. The functions of grooming behaviour are discussed in regard to other behaviours such as mating, copulation, sensory detection and flight.