The survival, metabolic reserves, and host-seeking response of unfed Anopheles gambiae Giles sensu stricto females of different size classes were investigated from 1 to 6 d after emergence. In addition, the effect of blood meal size and frequency of feeding on the accumulation of metabolic reserves and reproductive development were investigated during the 1st gonotrophic cycle. Large females survived longer and contained significantly more protein, glycogen, and lipid at emergence than did small females. Over 6 d, the host-seeking response of large mosquitoes was greater than that of small ones. There was no gonotrophic development in unfed small females after emergence, whereas < or = 52% of large females developed oocytes to Christophers stage II. One blood meal, given by enema, resulted in gonotrophic development to stage II in small females, whereas only large females matured oocytes to Christophers stage V. In both large and small females, egg development was related to the size of the blood meal, but large females were better able to utilize the meals. Two successive blood meals enhanced the ability of small females to develop eggs. The pregravid condition commonly observed in An. gambiae appears to be determined by insufficient metabolic reserves at emergence, and the probability for small individuals to be pregravid is greater than for large mosquitoes because of the need to build up sufficient energy reserves before gonotrophic development can occur. The consequence of this behavior in relation to malaria transmission is discussed.
Autogeny in Aedes albopictus (Skuse) females was increased from 5% in wild-type parental stock to 84% by selection through 20 generations and was decreased to 0% by selection through nine generations. Concomitantly, the mean number of eggs per female that matured autogenously increased from 6.4 to 18.3 in sugar-fed mosquitoes that developed eggs. Although the duration of the larval period of the two strains was not different, autogenous females emerged with greater amounts of metabolizable protein and lipid and total available energy reserves than did anautogenous females, but with lesser amounts of glycogen. Dry weights did not differ significantly. The difference in the energy reserves between strains was slightly more than the total energy invested in 20 autogenous eggs. Autogenous females survived 1.3 d longer than did anautogenous females when starved from emergence.
Aedes albopictus (Skuse) females were more likely to develop eggs after they ingested small blood meals than were Aedes aegypti (L.) when both species were maintained under the same suboptimal adult nutritional regimen. The longevity of adult female Ae. albopictus under conditions of starvation was also significantly greater than that of Ae. aegypti. Analyses of total body proteins, lipids, and glycogen indicated that the increased reproductive efficiency of Ae. albopictus may be a result of its greater reserves accumulated during a longer larval period.
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