A High-Fecundity Aedine: Factors Affecting Egg Production of the Western Treehole Mosquito, Aedes Sierrensis (Diptera: Culicidae)

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Abstract
Aedes sierrensis is typical of most mosquitoes in that larger females lay more eggs per batch and females blood fed to repletion lay more eggs than those not taking a complete meal. Neither mating nor gonotrophic age affects egg maturation, but mated mosquitoes oviposit more readily than unmated ones. Pupal weight does not correlate with egg weight, survivorship of either sex, number of clutches produced, mating success, day of 1st feeding, or 1st day of oviposition. Aedes sierrensis is unusual in its high weight-specific fecundity and small egg size relative to 5 other Aedes species. High fecundity may be an adaptation allowing individual females of this species to oviposit single egg batches in a greater number of tree holes.