INTERSPECIFIC AND INTRASPECIFIC VARIATION IN RESISTANCE TO DESICCATION BY ADULT AEDES (STEGOMYIA) SPP (DIPTERA, CULICIDAE) FROM INDONESIA

Desiccation survival times of adult mosquitoes were studied for yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (L.) (6 strains), Asian tiger mosquito, Ae. albopictus (Skuse) (5 strains), and Ae. paullusi Stone & Farmer ( 1 strain) colonized from South Sulawesi, Indonesia. At both 90 and 70% RH, Ae. aegypti males and females outlived the other species. The for est species Ae. paullusi was least resistant to desiccation. Strains o f Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus from urban areas were more resistant to desiccation than conspecific strains from rural villages. When wate r was accessible, Ae. albopictus females outlived Ae. aegypti females, indicating that death from deprivation of water was not a result of e nergy depletion. Ae. aegypti was largest in body size, followed by lie . albopictus and Ae. paullusi. Among strains within species, the relat ionship between body size and survival time was significant only for A e, aegypti females at 70% RH. Adult desiccation resistance may be a fa ctor that influences distribution and abundance of Aedes (Stegomyia) s pecies.