The nutrition of adult mosquitoes: Preliminary contribution

MacGregor, Malcolm E.

doi:10.1016/s0035-9203(30)80008-7

Cited by 32 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Strong midgut acidit·y has seldom been recorded, but occurs in blowfly larvae, in blowfly adults, and in housefly larvae (Hobson 1931;Waterhouse 1940). It has also been reported for aphids (Bramstedt 1948) and for adult mosquitoes (MacGregor 1931), although the latter record is suspect in view of more recent studies (Fisk 1949;Popow and Golzowa 1933). At the other extreme, larvae of Lepidoptera (see Table 3) and Trichoptera (Shinoda 1930b) have weakly to strongly alkaline midgut contents, these generally varying from pH 8.0 to 10.0.…”

mentioning

confidence: 86%

The Hydrogen Ion Concentration in the Alimentary Canal of Larval and Adult Lepidoptera

Waterhouse¹

1949

Aust. Jnl. Of Bio. Sci.

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SummaryThe pH of the midgut digestive juices of two species of carnivorous lepidopterous larvae and of 40 species of adult Lepidoptera belonging to 16 families was determined. In all species it was alkaline. From these records, and from those available from the literature for phytophagous, wool-eating, and wax-eating lepidopterous larvae, it is possible to generalize that midgut alkalinity is characteristic of the order Lepidoptera and that it is not dependent upon feeding habits.For those species for which it was determined, the blood was neutral or slightly alkaline, the crop contents had the same pH as that of the food offered, and the hindgut contents were slightly acid.

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confidence: 86%

The Hydrogen Ion Concentration in the Alimentary Canal of Larval and Adult Lepidoptera

Waterhouse¹

1949

Aust. Jnl. Of Bio. Sci.

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“…Sucking activity of the cibarial and pharyngeal pumps is initiated when mediumsized hairs posterior to the tip of the labella and oral papillae are simultaneously stimulated [6]. During nectar feeding, the mosquito shows discontinuous suction [52,53]. The food passing over the labral campaniform sensilla may affect the pumping action of both cibarial and pharyngeal pumps.…”

Section: Functions Of Labellar and Labial Sensilla During Feedingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The two small dorsal diverticula probably function as air separators, trapping air that comes in with the food [52,63]. Sugar solution stored in the ventral diverticulum is gradually passed to the midgut for absorption [53]. Day [63] suggested that as a blood meal is required by a majority of female mosquitoes to mature their eggs, the ability to take a blood meal in spite of a recent nectar meal is of survival value.…”

Section: Functions Of Labellar and Labial Sensilla During Feedingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine Structure of the Sense Organs on the Labella and Labium of the Mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.)

Lee¹,

Craig²

2009

TOENTOJ

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Fine structure of the sense organs on the labella and labium of male and female mosquito Aedes aegypti is described. Labellar hair on the outside of the two labellar lobes are consisted of long mechanoreceptive hairs, medium-sized chemoreceptive hairs containing 3-5 dendrites, and short papillae which are probably olfactory receptors. Two apical hairs each containing five dendrites not reported before are found deeply embedded inside each labellum. They emerged between folds at the tip of the labellum. These and other sensory hairs on the outside of the labella are probably involved in finding a suitable place for feeding after a mosquito has landed on a host. Six anteriorly directed papillae each containing 3-5 dendrites are found on the oral surface of each labellar lobe with no evidence of mechanoreceptors associated with these papillae. These papilla are probably chemosensory and are involved in detecting the food entering the food canal when a mosquito feed on water and other liquid diet such as nectar. A chordotonal organ with two sensory cells is found inside each labellum, and this organ has not been described on mosquito mouthparts before. These chordotonal organs probably function to monitor the spreading and closing of the labellar lobes during feeding. Mosquito spread their labellar lobes when feeding on water and sugar but these lobes are firmly pressed against each other when they feed on blood. Ligular hairs are definitely not sensory because of a lack any dendrites inside these hairs. Labial hairs proximal to the labella are probably mechanoreceptors because only one nerve cell is associated with each hair with nerve terminating at the base of the hair. Based on results from behavioral and functional studies, the function of these sensilla during feeding is described.

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“…The differences in cross sections of the ventral and dorsal ovipositor valves cannot easily be related to their functional roles, as all valves make extensive contact with the substrate during probing. Hemipterans and mosquitoes, however, have more-or-less nested probe elements (Krenn & Aspöck, 2012;Dai et al, 2014), allowing us to make the following hypothesis: the elements that are considered to be the main stylets used in probing are largest (Gordon & Lumsden, 1939;Griffiths & Gordon, 1952;Choumet et al, 2012), whereas the smaller elements normally have other functions, including clogging prevention (MacGregor, 1931) and injection of saliva (Dimmoc, 1881;Robinson, 1939).…”

Section: (1) Cross Section Of the Insect Probementioning

confidence: 99%

Functional principles of steerable multi‐element probes in insects

et al. 2018

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Hemipterans, mosquitoes, and parasitic wasps probe in a variety of substrates to find hosts for their larvae or food sources. Probes capable of sensing and precise steering enable insects to navigate through solid substrates without visual information and to reach targets that are hidden deep inside the substrate. The probes belong to non‐related taxa and originate from abdominal structures (wasps) or mouthparts (hemipterans and mosquitoes), but nevertheless share several morphological characteristics. Although the transport function clearly differs (egg laying and acquisition of liquid food), the functional demands on the mechanical behaviour of the probe within the substrate tend to be similar. The probe needs to be thin to limit substrate deformation, and long, in order to attain substantial path lengths or depths. We linked the morphology across taxa to the different functional requirements, to provide insights into the biology of probing insects and the evolution of their probes. Current knowledge of insect probes is spread over many taxa, which offers the possibility to derive general characteristics of insect probing. Buckling during initial puncturing is limited by external support mechanisms. The probe itself consist of multiple (3–6) parts capable of sliding along one another. This multi‐part construction presumably enables advancement and precise three‐dimensional steering of the probe through the substrate with very low net external pushing forces, preventing buckling during substrate penetration. From a mechanical viewpoint, a minimum of three elements is required for 3D steering and volumetric exploration, as realised in the ovipositors of wasps. More elements, such as in six‐element probes of mosquitoes, may enhance friction in soft substrates. Alternatively, additional elements can have functions other than ‘drilling’, such as saliva injection in mosquitoes. Despite the gross similarities, probes show differences in their cross sections, tip morphologies, relative lengths of their elements, and the shape of their interconnections. The hypothesis is that the probe morphology is influenced by the substrate properties, which are mostly unknown. Correlating the observed diversity to substrate‐specific functional demands is therefore currently impossible. We conclude that a multipart probe with sliding elements is highly effective for volumetric substrate probing. Shared functional demands have led to an evolutionary convergence of slender multi‐element probes in disparate insect taxa. To fully understand 3D probing, it is necessary to study the sensory and material properties, as well as the detailed kinematics and dynamics of the various probes in relation to the nature of the selective pressure originating from the species‐specific substrates. Such knowledge will deepen our understanding of probing mechanisms and may support the development of slender, bio‐inspired probes.

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The nutrition of adult mosquitoes: Preliminary contribution

Cited by 32 publications

References 1 publication

The Hydrogen Ion Concentration in the Alimentary Canal of Larval and Adult Lepidoptera

The Hydrogen Ion Concentration in the Alimentary Canal of Larval and Adult Lepidoptera

Fine Structure of the Sense Organs on the Labella and Labium of the Mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.)

Functional principles of steerable multi‐element probes in insects

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