Landing sites on the human body preferred by Aedes albopictus

The landing sites on the human body preferred by Aedes albopictus were examined. Five male volunteers wearing only shorts stood in a mosquito net enclosure containing 120 proboscis-amputated Ae. albopitus. In separate tests, 9 male volunteers and 1 female volunteer lay supine during the test. The number of mosquitoes landing on each site of the volunteer's body was counted, and after completion of the test, his or her body temperature was recorded. When the subject was upright, the landing site most preferred by mosquitoes was the foot. When volunteers were supine, the foot also was the most preferred landing site, but the proportion of mosquitoes landing on the foot in this position in comparison with other sites was lower than when the Volunteer was in the upright position. The 2nd most preferred landing site was the hand, followed by the face. No correlation was found between preferred landing sites and body temperature. Factors other than temperature (e.g., human emanation) may influence mosquito behavior and landing site.