Fast and slow blood-feeding durations of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Trinidad.

The duration of blood feeding by similar-sized Aedes aegypti (L.) was determined under laboratory conditions in Trinidad, West Indies. Ae. aegypti from the F0 generation contained individuals that fed quickly (106.2 seconds) as well as slowly (330.0 seconds). Among the fast feeders (<2 min), the time taken for blood feeding during the first gonotrophic cycle was much shorter than that observed for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th gonotrophic cycles. In contrast, among the slow feeders the time taken was much slower in the first gonotrophic cycle than that observed in subsequent gonotrophic cycles. Similarly, fast and slow feeding rates did not persist among the progeny of the F0 individuals reared to F1, F2, F3 and F4 generations. The size of the egg clutches was not significantly different for fast- and slow-feeding Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, with mean number of eggs being 85.1 +/- 21.6 for fast feeders and 83.8 +/- 17.7 for slow feeders during the first gonotrophic cycle. Similar patterns were observed among F1, F2, F3 and F4 generations with mean number of eggs being 86.4 +/- 14.8 (range 70-179 eggs) and 87.9 +/- 15.7 (range 68-121 eggs) for the fast and slow feeding females, respectively. These results indicate that mosquitoes have the ability to increase or decrease feeding durations as required, which may counter any physical interference during the blood-feeding process and may consequently enhance vector efficiency.