Nutritional reserves of autogenous and anautogenous selected strains of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae).

Autogeny in Aedes albopictus (Skuse) females was increased from 5% in wild-type parental stock to 84% by selection through 20 generations and was decreased to 0% by selection through nine generations. Concomitantly, the mean number of eggs per female that matured autogenously increased from 6.4 to 18.3 in sugar-fed mosquitoes that developed eggs. Although the duration of the larval period of the two strains was not different, autogenous females emerged with greater amounts of metabolizable protein and lipid and total available energy reserves than did anautogenous females, but with lesser amounts of glycogen. Dry weights did not differ significantly. The difference in the energy reserves between strains was slightly more than the total energy invested in 20 autogenous eggs. Autogenous females survived 1.3 d longer than did anautogenous females when starved from emergence.