Caloric Reserves in Aedes Cantator (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

An acid solution of sodium bichromate was used to quantify caloric reserves in Aedes cantator adults arising from different broods at Guilford and Milford, Connecticut, USA. Spectrophotometric assays of males and females ≤24 h old revealed mean energy reserves of 1.1–2.6 and 0.5–2.9 cal/insect, respectively. Average caloric content in 198 resting mosquitoes was ≤0.5 cal/insect, whereas available energy reserves in 148 blood-seeking females ranged from 0.4 to 2.6 cal/insect. Bichromate values for starved adults (i.e., irreducible minimums) indicate little difference between sexes but show variation among separate generations. The occurrence of relatively low amounts of energy reserves in newly emerged adults reinforces the importance of sugars for mosquito survival during early adulthood.