Abstract
The comparative susceptibility of each developmental stage of the copepod Acanthocyclops vernalis to Amblyospora connecticus, a microsporidian parasite of the mosquito Aedes cantator, was determined in laboratory transmission tests. Adult female and juvenile copepodid stage A. vernalis were found to be susceptible, while adult male and larval nauplii stages were not. Parasite development is restricted to the median ovary and paired lateral oviducts, which become swollen and noticeably distended in host female copepods. Ovarian infection interferes with normal egg production and appears to explain the differential susceptibility of each host developmental stage to infection. Observations of naturally acquired infection in field populations of A. vernalis were consistent with the laboratory studies. No infections were detected in adult males or gravid females and only female copepods without egg sacs (20%, n = 613) were found to be infected.
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