Objective:

To determine the time of oogenic development and the length of the gonotrophic cycle of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in laboratory.

Materials and methods:

Bloodfed females of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were dissected every 4 h to determine the development status of the follicles according to the Christophers’ stages.

Results:

The minimum time of oocyte maturation in Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus was 64-82 h and 52-64 h post-feeding, respectively. We found that the gonotrophic cycle of Ae. aegypti (3.7-4.2 d) is longer than that of Ae. albopictus (3.2-3.7 d). The follicle length showed significant differences between species at Christophers’ stages 2” and 5, whereas follicle amplitude was different between the two mosquitoes at stages 2”, 3 and 4.

Conclusions:

The study provided new evidence on the reproductive strategies of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus females that coexist in the Neotropical region of Mexico.