The check is in the male: male mosquitoes affect female physiology and behavior.
The accessory glands of male mosquitoes may produce substances that are transferred to females during mating and alter female physiology and behavior. The effects of male substances include the inhibition of subsequent female mating behavior, stimulation of oviposition and preoviposition behaviors, and the inhibition of host-seeking behavior. The circadian rhythmicity of females can also be altered and their metabolic priorities restructured, making them more likely to reproduce. The specific components that affect the female have yet to be completely identified, but the published reports are summarized.
Division of Entomology, University of Idaho, Moscow 83844-2339, USA.
M J
MJ
Klowden
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D005075:Biological Evolution; D009033:Culicidae / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*