Use of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA amplified by polymerase chain reaction markers to estimate the number of Aedes aegypti families at oviposition sites in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

We report the application of a molecular genetic technique to estimate the number of full-sibling families of Aedes aegypti contained in oviposition traps. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA amplified by the polymerase chain reaction markers were used to estimate the numbers and sizes of families in traps at field locations in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Forty-nine presumptive loci were amplified with five primers in a total of 813 individuals from 26 sites. The average family size was 10.95, but the size distribution was skewed with an excess of small families containing 1-2 individuals. The number of families increased with the number of eggs in traps; however, the average family size decreased as the number of eggs increased. This suggests that females oviposited only a few eggs in traps that were recently placed in the field and lacked mosquito eggs or fewer eggs were oviposited as traps became crowded.