The effect of photoperiod on longevity of nondiapausing members of Ano
pheles crucians was evaluated in laboratory experiments. First-generat
ion adults reared from field collections illustrated the same trends.
Individuals reared and maintained under short photoperiod (either 8 h
light: 16 h dark or 11 h light: 13 h dark) lived longer than did those
reared and maintained under long photoperiod (either 16 h light: 8 h
dark or 15 h light: 9 h dark). Analysis of covariance showed that the
greater longevity of short-photoperiod mosquitoes was not caused by th
eir larger average body size. Also, a paired t-test confirmed the effe
ct of photoperiod, independent of body size, on longevity; in mosquito
es paired according to thorax length, short-photoperiod individuals li
ved longer than did long-photoperiod individuals of the same sex and c
ohort. The reason short-photoperiod mosquitoes of this species live lo
nger is not known.