Correlation between wing measurements and dry body weight in ...

Wing size and body weight in Oc. caspiusA. Carrongive unreliable results. The results hereinsuggest that even a crude estimate ofwing surface area is a better estimate ofbody size than wing length alone,perhaps because the former gives a betterpicture of wing lift. When comparingintra-sex or intra-species, the wing lengthmay appear reliable, but this study showsthat changes in wing shape betweensexes or species mean that wing lift (andtherefore maximum body size) may arebetter estimated by using surface area.AcknowledgementsI appreciate the collaboration of DrPhilip Agnew for his help in establishingthis study and for the help in revising themanuscript. I also thank Pr J.-A. Rioux,Dr J. Cousserans, Dr G. Duvallet, Dr J.-P. Hervé and C. Lagneau for their criticalreview of the manuscript. We are gratefulto O. Moussiegt for help in translationand correction of the manuscript.ReferencesAgnew, P., Haussy, C. & Michalakis, Y.(2000) Effects of density andlarval competition on selectedlife history traits of Culexpipiens quinquefasciatus(Diptera: Culicidae). Journal ofMedical Entomology, 37(5),732-735.Agnew, P., Hide, M., Sidobre, C. &Michalakis, Y. (2002) Aminimalist approach to theeffects of density-dependentcompetition on insect lifehistorytraits. EcologicalEntomology, 27, 396-402.Armbruster, P. & Hutchinson, R. (2002)Pupal mass and wing length asindicators of fecundity in Aedesalbopictus and Aedesgeniculatus (Diptera: Culicidae).Journal of Medical Entomology,39(4), 699-704.Becker, N., Petric, D., Zgomba, M.,Boase, C., Dahl, C., Lane, J. &Kaiser, A. (2003) Mosquitoesand their control. KluwerAcademic / Plenum Publishers.498pp.Clements, A. (1992) The biology ofmosquitoes. Volume 1Development, nutrition andreproduction. Chapman & Hall.509pp.Gabinaud, A. (1975) Ecologie de deuxAedes halophiles du littoralméditerranéen français Aedes(Ochlerotatus) caspius (Pallas,1771) Aedes (Ochlerotatus)detritus (Haliday, 1833)(Nematocera - Culicidae).Utilisation de la végétationcomme indicateur biotique pourl'établissement d'une carteécologique. Application endynamique des populations. PhDdissertation, Montpellier,Université des Sciences etTechniques du Languedoc,465pp.Nasci, R. (1986) The size of emergingand host-seeking Aedes aegyptiand the relation of size to bloodfeedingsuccess in the field.Journal of the AmericanMosquito Control Association,2(1), 61-62.Nasci, R. (1990) Relationship of winglength to adult dry weight inseveral mosquito species(Diptera: Culicidae). Journal ofMedical Entomology 27(4), 716-719.Reinert, J. (2000) New classification forthe composite genus Aedes(Diptera: Culicidae: Aedini),elevation of subgenusOchlerotatus to generic rank,reclassification of the othersubgenera, and notes on certainsubgenera and species. Journalof the American Mosquito7