Oogenic development and gonotrophic cycle of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in laboratory

Abstract

Objective. To determine the time of oogenic development and the length of the gonotrophic cycle of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in laboratory. Materials and methods. Bloodfed females of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were dissected every 4 h to determine the development status of the follicles according to the Christophers’ stages. Results. The minimum time of oocyte maturation in Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus was 64-82 h and 52-64 h post-feeding, respectively. We found that the gonotrophic cycle of Ae. aegypti (3.7-4.2 d) is longer than that of Ae. albopictus (3.2-3.7 d). The follicle length showed significant differences between species at Christophers’ stages 2” and 5, whereas follicle amplitude was different between the two mosquitoes at stages 2”, 3 and 4. Conclusions. The study provided new evidence on the reproductive strategies of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus females that coexist in the Neotropical region of Mexico.