Influence of Day-Length Conditions on Immature Fitness Attributes of Aedes Aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

Abstract

Photoperiod is the amount of light and darkness in a 24 hour clock is a physical factor affecting the physiology and behaviour of insects. This study investigated the influence of day-length on developmental attributes of Aedes aegypti. Eggs gotten from the wild were incubated in the laboratory. Day old larvae were exposed to five photoperiod regimens; 0, 6, 13 (control), 18 and 24 hour of light (hL). Rearing of immature stages and other entomological variables were monitored following standard protocols. Results revealed significant effects of photoperiod on all parameters measured. Total larval and total immature development ranged from 7.87±1.88 to 16.29±4.53 days and 9.67±1.94 to 18.08±4.48 days respectively, while average larval and average immature survivorship ranged from 94.08±4.25 to 99.46±0.87 and 94.71±3.88 to 98.38±1.44 %. This study showed photoperiod had significant effect on immature duration and survivorship of Ae. aegypti.