Oviposition response of Chironomus tepperi to nitrogenous compounds and bioextracts in two-choice laboratory tests

Two-choice laboratory tests were used to investigate the oviposition response of Chironomus tepperi to a range of nitrogenous compounds and crude bioextracts. Responses to nitrogenous compounds varied in response to concentration. Ammonium nitrate did not influence oviposition at concentrations from 2 to 12 mg/liter. Hydroxylamine hydrochloride increased oviposition at 6 mg/liter, but had no effect at either 2 or 12 mg/liter. Sodium nitrate reduced oviposition at 2 mg/liter relative to the controls, but had no significant effect at 6 or 12 mg/liter. C. tepperi responded to many of the crude bioextracts, strongly avoiding oviposition in solutions containing homogenized chironomid larvae ( 1 final instar/100 ml; C. tepperi or Polypedilum nubiferum), and avoiding solutions conditioned by conspecific larvae at concentrations down to the equivalent of 1 final instar/100 ml over 24 hr. Homogenates of adult conspecifics had no effect on oviposition site selection. Homogenates of larval Culex annulirostris (Culicidae) deterred oviposition, but only at high concentrations (3 final instars/100 ml). Our results demonstrate that chemical cues from larval populations deter oviposition by C. tepperi females searching for newly flooded habitats where larval competition will be minimized.