Ultrastructural changes in midgut cells of female Aedes aegypti L. (Insecta, Diptera) after starvation or sugar diet.

The ultrastructure of the epithelial cells in the posterior part of the midgut in female Aedes aegypti was partly changed after starvation periods of 5 or 8 days. Most obvious is a drastic reduction of the amount of rough endoplasmic reticulum (rer), which is responsible for the synthesis of enzymes for blood digestion. A similar influence on rer membranes is to be observed in mosquitoes fed on sucrose solution only, without additional blood meals.