Age determination in individual wild-caught Cimex lectularius using pteridine concentration
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| Year of publication | 2019 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The individual age for different insect species can be determined by the concentration of pteridines in the eye. The female age and with it the changing ability to keep viable sperm seems to be an important parameter in the study of ecological speciation and reproductive isolation of two host lines of bedbugs (C. lectularius) parasitizing humans and bats. No studies have yet been conducted to determine the age of the bed bug and there are still some methodological inconsistencies in determining the age we had to deal with, i.e. the selection of pteridine standards and extraction method, the presence of light during extraction, before we could proceed to compile a calibration curve for the dependence of pteridines on age. After optimizing the extraction and measurement of pteridine concentrations, we developed new methodological protocol. Of the five tested pteridine standards, Leucopterin showed the highest consistency within the age cohort and seems be most appropriate for determining the age of bedbugs in wild populations. |
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