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Blood‐feeding in mosquitoes: probing time and salivary gland anti‐haemostatic activities in representatives of three genera ( Aedes , Anopheles , Culex )
Author(s) -
Ribeiro J. M. C.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2915.2000.00227.x
Subject(s) - biology , culex quinquefasciatus , aedes aegypti , blood meal , culex , aedes , anopheles , context (archaeology) , zoology , salivary gland , host (biology) , ecology , immunology , malaria , larva , paleontology , biochemistry
Summary Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) face their hosts' haemostatic mechanisms when attempting to feed on blood. Accordingly, they antagonize haemostasis by salivary agents that include anti‐clotting, anti‐platelet and vasodilatory compounds. Because haemostasis is a complex and redundant physiological response that varies between vertebrates, it is to be expected that haematophagous animals have a salivary armoury that most efficiently counteracts their preferred hosts. The mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus Say, which has a strong tendency to ornithophagy, appears to have only recently adapted to mammals and may not have evolved efficient mechanisms to counteract mammalian platelet responses, while birds only have relatively inefficient thrombocytes. Accordingly, we compared the probing behaviour of Cx. quinquefasciatus with two other mosquito species from different backgrounds: Aedes aegypti (L.) and Anopheles albimanus Weidemann, that have apparently had a longer evolutionary association with mammals. Culex takes much more time to find blood on a mammalian host (human or mouse) when compared to the two other mosquito species, but does not differ in probing behaviour when feeding on a chicken. Salivary anti‐haemostatic components were also measured in those three species of mosquito and results are discussed in context with the probing behaviour.