Comparison of swarming, mating performance and longevity of males Anopheles coluzzii between individuals fed with different natural fruit juices in laboratory and semi-field conditions

Abstract

Background: It is assumed that malaria vectors feed on locally available nectar sources to obtain energy. Sugar feeding is energetically critical for the Anopheles male swarming and mating activities. However, little is known about the impact of local nectar feeding on male physiological development and its consequences on male mosquito life traits in the malaria control context. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of local fruit juices on the life traits of males Anopheles coluzzii.

Methods: Swarming characteristics (number of males in swarm, number of mating pairs, and swarm duration) in semi-field conditions; mating rate and longevity in a laboratory setting were compared between males An. coluzzii fed exclusively with mango, papaya or banana juices. The trophic preference was investigated in semi-field conditions.

Results: The results of this study showed that in the laboratory, mosquitoes fed with papaya juices lived on average longer (10 days) than those fed with banana or mango juices (5 days) and had higher a mating rate (53%) than those fed with banana juice (40%). In the semi-field, the swarm size of mosquitoes fed with banana juice (85 males) was larger than that of mosquitoes fed with mango juice (60 males). The number of mating pairs formed from banana-fed male swarms (17 mating pairs) was higher than that formed from mango-fed male swarm (8 mating pairs). There was no difference in swarming duration between male treatments. Male mosquitoes had a preference for papaya and banana juices.

Conclusions: The results indicate that the origin of plant-derived feeding is an important factor in the survival and reproduction of mosquitoes. This calls for further investigations of chemical contents of nectars and their impact on the physiological development of mosquitoes.

Keywords: Malaria; Mosquito release; Sugar feeding; Trophic preference; Vector control.

Fig. 1

Experimental design for the trophic preference experiments in semi-field conditions. a Fruit juices coloured with food dyes of different colours. b Experimental design in an experimental compartment: visual marker (M), clay pot (P), tested juice (J), observer (O)

Fig. 2

Comparison of mosquito survival and mating performance between males fed with the three fruit juices in laboratory conditions. a Male survivorship. b Female insemination rate. The bars with different letters on top were significantly different (p < 0.05)

Fig. 3

Mosquito trophic preference in semi-field conditions. Comparison of numbers of mosquitoes fed on tested fruit juices. The bars with different letters on top were significantly different (p < 0.05)

Fig. 4

Comparison of swarm characteristics of males fed on the tested fruit juices. a Swarm size. b Swarming duration. The bars with different letters on top were significantly different (p < 0.05)

Fig. 5

Comparison of swarm characteristics of males fed on the tested fruit juices. a Number of mating pairs. b Effect of swam size on number of mating pairs. The bars with different letters on top were significantly different (p < 0.05)

Fig. 6

Comparison of swarm characteristics of males fed on the tested fruit juices. a Effect of swarming duration on number of mating pairs. b Female insemination rate