FECUNDITY OF Ochlerotatus albifasciatus (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) FROM CORDOBA, ARGENTINA

VISINTIN, ANDRES MARIO; ALMIRÓN, WALTER RIACRDO; LUDUEÑA ALMEIDA, FRANCISCO F.

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION

Año: 2004 vol. 20 p. 357 - 364

8756-971X

The number and length of Ochlerotatus albifasciatus gonotrophic cycles were determined during different climatic seasons in a temperate area of Argentina, as well as the number of laid eggs by female according to the number of blood ingestions per gonotrophic cycle throughout the year. Females were collected in the southwestern coast of Mar Chiquita Lake (NE of Cordoba Province) from February to November 2000, being captured with mechanical aspirators when landing on two operators. Collected females were kept under seminatural weather conditions, being fed on a sugar solution (10%) and blood provided by a human host in two different ways (treatment A: 1 blood ingestion/gonotrophic cycle; treatment B: 2-3 blood ingestions/gonotrophic cycle). A maximum of 5 gonotrophic cycles (average of 2.24 ± 1.11) were recorded by dissecting the ovarioles. The gonotrophic cycles were longer in females of treatment B (10.31 ± 4.13 d) than those of treatment A (9.02 ± 5 d). Females that completed the highest number of cycles were recorded in winter and the beginning of spring. The average number of eggs laid in each cycle for treatment B females was 90 (s=37.85), and 80 (s=29.99) for those of treatment A, with significant differences between treatments. Considering both treatments, the number of eggs was significant higher after 3 blood meals in comparison with 1 and 2 ingestions. These results suggest that an increase in the blood ingestions would produce an increase in the cycle length and therefore in the production of eggs. No correlation was found relating temperature and length of the different cycles, which might suggest that the number of blood meals would be the determining factor in egg production.