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22 January 2019 Spermathecal Filling in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus: Effects of Female and Male Body Sizes and Species
María C. Carrasquilla, Leon Philip Lounibos, Nildimar Alves Honorio, Sarah Murr
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Abstract

The mosquitoes Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) are ecologically similar species that have evolved independently in their native ranges, Ae. aegypti in Africa and Ae. albopictus in Asia. Where their invasive ranges overlap, interspecific mating is facilitated by both species swarming to mate around bloodmeal hosts during daylight. Here, we test hypotheses to account for variation in spermathecal filling in females of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, particularly, the effect of mosquito size on the number of spermathecae containing sperm after intraspecific and interspecifc matings of these two species. Results show that significantly more spermathecae contained sperm in large than in small Ae. albopictus females, but there was no effect of Ae. aegypti female body size on the average number of spermathecae filled. Among inseminated females, there was no effect of male size or cross-type on number of spermathecae with sperm. Differences in the effect of female size on the number of spermathecae that store sperm in Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus imply differences in the mating biology of these two species.

©The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
María C. Carrasquilla, Leon Philip Lounibos, Nildimar Alves Honorio, and Sarah Murr "Spermathecal Filling in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus: Effects of Female and Male Body Sizes and Species," Journal of Medical Entomology 56(2), 334-340, (22 January 2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjy158
Received: 1 May 2018; Accepted: 14 August 2018; Published: 22 January 2019
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KEYWORDS
mating
size
sperm storage
spermathecae
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