Temperature and photoperiod effects on dormancy status and life cycle parameters in Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti from subtropical Argentina

GARZÓN, M. J.; MAFFEY, L.; LIZUAIN, A.; SOTO, D.; DIAZ, P. C.; LEPORACE, M.; SALOMÓN, O. D.; SCHWEIGMANN, N. J.

MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2020

0269-283X

Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) distribution is bounded to a subtropical area in Argentina, while Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) covers both temperateand subtropical regions. We assessed thermal and photoperiod conditions on dormancystatus, development time and mortality for these species from subtropical Argentina.Short days (8 light : 16 dark) significantly increased larval development time for bothspecies, an effect previously linked to diapause incidence. Aedes albopictus showedhigher mortality than Ae. aegypti at 16 ∘C under long day treatments (16 light : 8 dark),which could indicate a lower tolerance to a sudden temperature decrease during the summer season. Aedes albopictus showed a slightly higher percentage of dormant eggs fromfemales exposed to a short day, relative to previous research in Brazilian populations.Since we employed more hours of darkness, this could suggest a relationship betweenday-length and dormancy intensity. Interestingly, local Ae. aegypti presented dormancysimilar to Ae. albopictus, in accordance with temperate populations. The minimum dormancy in Ae. albopictus would not be sufficient to extend its bounded distribution. Webelieve that these findings represent a novel contribution to current knowledge about theecophysiology of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti, two species with great epidemiologicalrelevance in this subtropical region.