Quantitative Assessment with Radiotracers of Sperm Transfer by Male Aedes Aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

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Abstract
A method was developed for quantitatively monitoring sperm transfer in male Aedes aegypti using radioactive tracers. Adenine-3H(G) was incorporated into sperm at sufficiently high levels to be readily detected in inseminated females by means of liquid scintillation spectrophotometry. The macromolecular distribution of the transferred radioactivity was determined by trichloroacetic acid precipitation and gross chemical fractionation. Forty-six percent of the radioactivity in females was found to be incorporated into DNA. Autoradiography demonstrated the localization of the transferred radioactivity in the spermathecae. This confirmed that radioactivity in the female was a result of sperm transfer and not external contamination; the levels of radioactivity were found to be directly proportional to sperm numbers. The behavior and survival of the male and the ability of the sperm to fertilize eggs were unaffected by the isotope at the dosages used.

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