title: Pteridine concentrations differ between insectary-reared and field-collected Anopheles albimanus mosquitoes of the same physiological age.
abstract: Biopterin, isoxanthopterin and 6-pterincarboxylic acid were identified in the head of the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles albimanus Weidemann (Diptera: Culicidae) by HPLC. Total pteridine concentrations (TPC) were estimated in heads, body parts (BP: abdomen, legs and wings) and whole bodies of insectary-reared and field-collected females, by spectrofluorometry, to investigate whether they could be used for age determination. Pteridine concentrations diminished with age in both mosquito groups. TPC correlated with chronological age in insectary-reared sugar-fed females (heads: r2 = 0.35, BP: r2 = 0.34, P < 0.001), but lower correlation occurred in blood-fed females (heads: r2 = 0.22, BP: r2 = 0.27). TPC differed among females of the same age fed with blood at different times (P < 0.05), indicating that bloodmeals modify the diminution rate of pteridines with age. Nevertheless, a polynomial significant correlation was documented for TPC and the number of ovipositions (heads: r2 = 0.24, BP: r2 = 0.27, whole body: r2 = 0.52, P < 0.001) in insectary-reared mosquitoes. This correlation was lower in field-collected mosquitoes (heads: r2 = 0.14, BP: r2 = 0.10, P < 0.05), which showed a remarkable pteridine increase in one-parous females. The correlation of TPC in whole body with physiological age was much less (r2 = 0.03). These observations indicate that TPC determination by spectrofluorometry is not a reliable method to estimate the age of An. albimanus females from the feral population.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación de Paludismo, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. penilla@insp.mx
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Penilla
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Viader-Salvadó
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Sánchez
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000852:Anopheles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D001824:Body Constitution; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004032:Diet; D005121:Extremities; D005260:Female; D006257:Head; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D008288:Malaria; D010053:Ovary / Q000502:physiology; D010058:Oviposition / Q000502:physiology; D011621:Pteridines / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D011621:Pteridines