EFFECT OF FEMALE SIZE ON FECUNDITY AND SURVIVORSHIP OF AEDES-AEGYPTI FED ONLY HUMAN BLOOD VERSUS HUMAN BLOOD PLUS SUGAR

We determined whether size, an indirect measure of teneral energy rese rves, modifies the fitness advantage (Sigma survival x egg production/ female/day) conferred to female Aedes aegypti (L.) maintained on human blood over cohorts fed human blood plus sugar. Different sized female s were obtained by rearing them at different larval densities and with different amounts of food per larva. Each female in 4 treatment group s of 23 mosquitoes each was maintained in a separate cage. A 10% sucro se solution was provided ad libitum to mosquitoes in the sugar-plus-bl ood treatments and water to the blood only groups. Eggs deposited and survival were monitored daily for each mosquito until all had died. Wi thin a size category, survival of mosquitoes in different treatments w as not different and mosquitoes fed only human blood laid more eggs th an those fed blood plus sugar. The numbers of eggs laid by small mosqu itoes fed human blood alone and large mosquitoes fed human blood plus sugar were not different. Mosquitoes fed only human blood had higher n et replacement and intrinsic rates of growth than similar sized mosqui toes fed blood plus sugar. Female Ae. aegypti fed only human blood, re gardless of the variation in size that we studied and thus energy rese rves at emergence, had a fitness advantage over those fed a diet that included sugar.