Male accessory gland proteins induce female monogamy in anopheline mosquitoes

B. Shutt, L. Stables, F. Aboagye-Antwi, J. Moran, F. Tripet

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The role of male accessory gland (MAG) secretions in inducing refractoriness to further mating in mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) was established in the late 1960s. In a set of simple experiments, MAG extract was injected intra-thoraxically into the hemocoel of virgin Aedes aegypti (L.), Culex pipiens pipiens (L.) and Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say females. This subsequently caused most females to remain unmated when exposed to males. For anophelines these findings were later challenged by a study involving intra-abdominal injections of MAG extracts into Anopheles gambiae Giles s.l. and Anopheles albimanus Wiedmann females, which failed to induce refractoriness to further mating. These findings led to controversy about the respective role of sperm and accessory gland peptides in inducing female monogamy in Anopheles and are at odds with our current understanding of the mating process in Drosophila spp. (Diptera: Drosophillidae) and other dipterans. Here we confirm the function of MAG secretions in anophelines experimentally by showing that intra-thoracic injections in Anopheles stephensi Liston and in the M and S molecular forms of An. gambiae s.s. result in the expected female monogamy. Cross-injections of MAG extracts between the M and S molecular forms of An. gambiae, two cryptic taxa within An. gambiae s.s. which are thought to be undergoing incipient speciation, also elicited effective refractoriness, suggesting that the two sub-taxa have not diverged with regard to sex peptides responsible for female monogamy. Importantly, this also suggests that the rare cases of re-mating following cross-mating observed in this species may not be a form of reproductive barrier between molecular forms.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)91-94
Number of pages4
JournalMedical and Veterinary Entomology
Volume24
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2010
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Accessory gland proteins
  • Acps
  • Monoandry
  • Reproductive isolation
  • Seminal fluid
  • Sexual refractoriness
  • Sexual selection
  • Speciation

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