The artificial meal SkitoSnack does not support reproduction in Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes.

ABSTRACT: Mosquitoes are hematophagous insects. Obtaining fresh animal blood to maintain laboratory colonies, rear high numbers of mosquitoes, or blood-feed mosquitoes for experimental purposes, can be costly and imposes ethical concerns. Recently, the artificial meal SkitoSnack was developed to rear Aedes aegypti L. mosquitoes. This artificial diet is low-cost, can be easily prepared in the laboratory, and results in comparable life history traits to Ae. aegypti raised with animal blood. Here, we investigated if the SkitoSnack can be used to produce the next generation of Culex pipiens L. as a substitute for animal blood and assessed the effects on mosquito fitness. Female Cx. pipiens fed with SkitoSnack demonstrated high post-feeding mortality and lower fecundity, fertility, egg-laying rates, egg-

SUBMITTER: Soto A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12023163 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature