Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Quantifying Fitness Costs in Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

Quantifying Fitness Costs in Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

Published on: September 15, 2023

Evaluations of mosquito age grading techniques based on morphological changes.

L E Hugo¹, S Quick-Miles, B H Kay

¹Queensland Institute of Medical Research and Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health, Post Office Royal Brisbane Hospital, QLD 4029, Australia. leon.hugo@qimr.edu.au

Journal of Medical Entomology

|June 7, 2008

Summary

Morphological mosquito age grading methods like ovarian tracheation and midgut meconium offer accurate classifications for nulliparous and parous females. Other methods for multiple age categories proved difficult and inaccurate.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Social niche construction and evolutionary transitions in individuality.

Biology & philosophy·2015

Same author

Field evaluation of the establishment potential of wMelPop Wolbachia in Australia and Vietnam for dengue control.

Parasites & vectors·2015

Same author

Field evaluations of disposable sticky lures for surveillance of Aedes aegypti (Stegomyia aegypti) and Culex quinquefasciatus in Jakarta.

Medical and veterinary entomology·2012

Same author

Multimedia modeling of environmental transport: trichloroethylene test case.

Environmental science & technology·2012

Same author

Successful establishment of Wolbachia in Aedes populations to suppress dengue transmission.

Nature·2011

Same author

Genetic structure of Aedes aegypti in Australia and Vietnam revealed by microsatellite and exon primed intron crossing markers suggests feasibility of local control options.

Journal of medical entomology·2009

Area of Science:

Medical Entomology
Vector Biology

Background:

Accurate mosquito age grading is crucial for understanding disease transmission dynamics.
Morphological methods have been traditionally used but vary in accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the accuracy and practicality of several morphological mosquito age grading techniques.
To compare the effectiveness of different methods for classifying mosquito age.

Main Methods:

Assessed Detinova ovarian tracheation, midgut meconium, Polovodova ovariole dilatation, ovarian injection, and daily growth line methods.
Used laboratory-reared Aedes vigilax and Culex annulirostris females of known ages.
Conducted blinded trials for method validation.

Main Results:

More Related Videos

Phenotypic Analysis of Rodent Malaria Parasite Asexual and Sexual Blood Stages and Mosquito Stages

Phenotypic Analysis of Rodent Malaria Parasite Asexual and Sexual Blood Stages and Mosquito Stages

Published on: May 30, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Quantifying Fitness Costs in Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

Quantifying Fitness Costs in Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

Published on: September 15, 2023

Phenotypic Analysis of Rodent Malaria Parasite Asexual and Sexual Blood Stages and Mosquito Stages

Phenotypic Analysis of Rodent Malaria Parasite Asexual and Sexual Blood Stages and Mosquito Stages

Published on: May 30, 2019

Detinova ovarian tracheation and midgut meconium methods accurately distinguished nulliparous and parous females (83.7-98.0% success).
Polovodova method and daily growth lines showed low accuracy for multiple age categories (57.5% or less).
Ovarian injections were found to be impractical.

Conclusions:

Simple morphological methods (ovarian tracheation, midgut meconium) are accurate for two-category age grading.
Methods for multiple age categories (ovariolar dilatation, growth lines) are unreliable.
The utility of these methods is considered alongside newer molecular techniques.