Larvicidal activity of Artemsia capillaris and Setaria palmifolia and Macaranga tanarius extracts against Aedes aegypti (Culicidae)

Larvicides are an effective method of vector management to control mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue. Growing awareness of environmental concerns with improperly used synthetic insecticides is driving interest in plant-derived biopesticides, perceived as being safer and to which insects are less likely to evolve resistance. This study examined hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of two plants, Artemisia capillaris and Setaria palmifolia, previously identified as having repellent abilities against a biting midge, for any larvicidal ability against the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Only the hexane extract of Artemisia capillaris had an effect, causing almost immediate knockdown of larvae faster than a Bacillus thuringiensis positive control. At doses above 300 ppm, all or nearly all larvae would die within 24 hours, while at lower doses a percentage would recover even if they appeared moribund. The LC50 and LC90 were calculated as 187.60 and 526.24 ppm at 24 hours and 128.31 an..., The essential oils were those from the original study. Briefly summarizing those methods, Artemisia capillaris and Setaria palmifolia leaves were collected on a single day in Taipingshan National Forest Recreational Area, ground while fresh, and 50 grams extracted in a Soxhlet extractor with hexane at 70 °C for 24 hours and again with ethyl acetate at 78 °C for 24 hours. Essential oils were separated from the solvents under a vacuum using a rotary evaporator. Two separate sets of extractions were done for each species, and the resulting oils combined for long-term storage in amber vials in the dark at room temperature. For this study, these four extracts (one hexane and one ethyl acetate extract per species) were dried in their vials under room temperature in a fume hood. The dry residues were dissolved to saturation (100% stock solution) with approximately 2 mL of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).
The mosquitoes were an Aedes aegypti strain sourced in Tainan City, Taiwan, provided by the Vect..., , # Larvicidal Activity of *Artemsia capillaris* and *Setaria palmifolia* and *Macaranga tanarius* Extracts Against *Aedes aegypti* (Culicidae)

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gxd2547wt](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gxd2547wt)

## Description of the data and file structure

This repository is associated with Huang, Tsai, and Shelomi (2025). Larvicidal Activity of *Artemsia capillaris *and* Setaria palmifolia *Extracts Against *Aedes aegypti* (Culicidae). Currently under peer review.

This study examined hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of two plants, *Artemisia capillaris* and *Setaria palmifolia*, and ethyl acetate extract only of *Macaranga tanarius*, for any larvicidal ability against the yellow fever mosquito, *Aedes aegypti*. Only the hexane extract of *Artemisia capillaris* had an effect, causing almost immediate inactivity in larvae faster than a *Bacillus thuringiensis* positive control. At doses above 300 ppm, all or nearly all larvae would die within 24 hours, while at lower d...