Do field collected immature stages of Aedes mosquitoes exhibit correspondence of the life-history traits? Observations from Kolkata, India

Abstract

ABSTRACT Entomological monitoring of dengue vectors Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) and Ae. albopictus (Skuse, 1894) (Diptera: Culicidae) provides crucial information on the life-history traits (LHTs). An assessment of the LHTs of Aedes mosquitoes was accomplished using randomly collected immature stages from various larval habitats of Kolkata, India. Out of 104 larval habitats ~43% were exclusive for Ae. aegypti, ~31% were exclusive for Ae. albopictus and ~26% were common for both the species. Both female and male Ae. aegypti were bigger than the equivalents of Ae. albopictus in terms of pupal weight, adult weight and wing length. All the LHTs were significantly (P < 0.05) correlated, and the sexual dimorphism was evident for both Aedes mosquitoes. In both the species, the fecundity (ln-transformed value; y) increased with the wing length (x) [for Ae. aegypti y = 1.012x+1.023, R2 = 0.455, and for Ae. albopictus y = 1.022x+1.083, R2 = 0.154]. A correspondence of the larval development and the adult traits was evident for both the Aedes mosquitoes. Incorporation of the life-history trait data with pupal productivity in the surveillance of the dengue vectors will enable precise predictions about the population abundance and possibility of disease transmission.