Weight and Development Time of Different Stadia of Mosquitoes Reared at Various Constant Temperatures

Abstract

Can. Ent. 99: 986-993 (1967) Development time decreased wirh each increase in rearing temperature in Aedes uexans7 A. nigrmnaculis7 and Culiseta i n m t a until the optimum survival temperature was reached. The optimum survival temperature for A. vexans was 26.S°C, for A. nigromaculis 2l0C, and for C. inoraata 21°C. Dry weight gain per hour in female larvae was greater than in male larvae in all nhree species, at all temperatures. There was a significant reduction in weight in each larval instar, pupal, and adult stage, with each 5.5% increase in rearing tem'prature. Times to larval-pupal ecdysis and pupal-adult ecdysis were the same for males and females of A. nigromculis at all developmental temperatures tested. Time to larval-pupal ecdysis and pupal-adult ecdysis in A. vexans and C. inornata occurred 1 to several days later in females, depending upon the developmental temperature. In all three species the duration of che fourth instar was longest and the specific weight gain greatest.

Testing Developmental Plasticity in Aquatic Larvae ofCorethrella appendiculata(Diptera: Corethrellidae)

“…However, our results of female midges consuming more food daily than males Þt with some earlier observations of higher daily weight gain in female mosquito larvae (Brust 1967), though faster male weight gain has been recorded in a cannibalistic species (Lounibos et al 1996). Higher daily food consumption and weight gain in females could be a direct result of the female delay in entering the fourth instar.…”

Habitat complexity and sex-dependent predation of mosquito larvae in containers

“…Differences in treatment effects on females and males in the three experiments may be, in part, attributable to differences in sex-specific development and size because adult male mosquitoes are often smaller than females and the first to emerge to adulthood (e.g., Brust 1967). In experiment 1, size-structured predation (Werner and Gilliam 1984) may have allowed for rapidly developing male A. albopictus to achieve larger sizes that may be less vulnerable to T. rutilus predation.…”

“…For prey that are sexually dimorphic and protandrous, such as many mosquitoes (e.g., Brust 1967), predation may differentially affect the sexes. Protandry, here defined as the arrival of males before females into a seasonal breeding population, is common among insects and is predicted to occur most often where females are monogamous (e.g., butterflies and mosquitoes) whereby sexual selection theory predicts males maximize mating opportunities (Wiklund and Fagerstro¨m 1977;Nylin et al 1993;Kleckner et al 1995;ZijIstra et al 2002).…”

Developmental time of immature forms of Sabethes aurescens Lutz (Diptera, Culicidae) from artificially perforated bamboo in the rain forest of southern Brazil

“…The shorter period for the development of males, compared to that of females, is probably due to the need of rotation of external genitalia (24h after the adult emergence), which will permit the copulation (Forattini 2002). Protandry has been documented among most species of mosquitoes examined, such as the cosmopolitan disease vectors and pests Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823(DeMeillon et al 1967 and Aedes vexans (Meigen, 1830) (Brust 1967).…”