Photoperiod and the relationship between wing length and body weight in Anopheles quadrimaculatus.

The effect of photoperiod on wing length, body weight, and relationship between wing length and body weight was investigated in the mosquito species Anopheles quadrimaculatus. Individuals reared under a short photoperiod (8 h light: 16 h dark) had longer wings and larger weights than did those reared under a long photoperiod (16 h light: 8 h dark). Covariance analysis showed that photoperiod and wing length interacted so that photoperiod did not have a uniform effect on body weight at all wing lengths. At small mosquito sizes, body weight was higher in short than in long-photoperiod individuals of the same wing length, but at large mosquito sizes, body weight was higher in long than in short-photoperiod individuals of the same wing length. Thus, among smaller mosquitoes of this species, wings were disproportionately longer in long-photoperiod individuals, but among larger mosquitoes, wings were disproportionately longer in short-photoperiod individuals. These results, together with previous studies, suggest that photoperiod and temperature have similar effects on the developing insect.