Determining the Insemination Status of Mosquitoes.

Within the genus , the reproductive biology of two species has been most thoroughly studied: and In these species, females tend to copulate with one or more males once sexually mature. Within a few hours after an initial insemination, most females become refractory to insemination for the rest of their lives. females store sperm in three sclerotized spherical structures called spermathecae, where they can remain viable for >3 mo after copulation. This protocol outlines a quick (∼3-5 min per female once you are practiced in dissection) and effective method for dissecting the female spermathecae from and mosquitoes and scoring them for the presence or absence of sperm in cases in which the researcher does not need the female for further studies.