Energy Reserves in Natural Populations of Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Pupae and adults of Aedes triseriatus (Say) were collected in southern Connecticut during 1980 and 1983–85, and available energy reserves in newly emerged, resting, and blood-seeking mosquitoes were quantified. Caloric reserves in unfed adults, reared from pupae and killed ≤24 h after eclosion, were low ($\bar x$ = 0.2–1.7 cal per insect). In contrast, mean caloric values for females resting on plants (3.0 cal per insect) or seeking vertebrate blood in woodlands (0.6–5.2 cal per insect) were relatively higher. That newly emerged adults contain minimal amounts of stored energy reserves reinforces the importance of plant sugars for survival during early adulthood.