Independently regulated juvenile hormone activity and vitellogenesis in mosquitoes.

Abstract Temporally distinct, head-mediated processes regulate vitellogenic development as well as juvenile hormone (JH)-mediated development of ovarian follicles of Aedes aegypti . In blood-fed adult mosquitoes, vitellogenic development is stimulated during the first day after blood is imbibed and JH secretion is stimulated 2 days later. JH secretion in recently ecdysed adult mosquitoes is stimulated during or shortly before ecdysis. These observations suggest that vitellogenesis follows blood-ingestion, whereas JH activity may secondarily be promoted by vitellogenesis. It may be that vitellogenesis and JH activity are mediated by different brain hormones