This article is part of the supplement: Development of the sterile insect technique for African malaria vectors .

Review

Male mating biology

Paul I Howell^1,2 and Bart GJ Knols²

¹  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Hwy, Atlanta GA USA 30341, Malaria Research and Reference Reagent Resource Center (MR4) and Atlanta Research & Education Foundation (AREF), 1670 Clairmont Road (151F), Decatur, GA 30033, USA

²  Div. Infectious Diseases, Tropical Medicine & AIDS, Academic Medical Center, F4-217, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands and K&S Consulting, Kalkestraat 20, 6669 CP Dodewaard, The Netherlands

author email corresponding author email

Malaria Journal 2009, 8(Suppl 2):S8doi:10.1186/1475-2875-8-S2-S8

Published:	16 November 2009

Abstract

Before sterile mass-reared mosquitoes are released in an attempt to control local populations, many facets of male mating biology need to be elucidated. Large knowledge gaps exist in how both sexes meet in space and time, the correlation of male size and mating success and in which arenas matings are successful. Previous failures in mosquito sterile insect technique (SIT) projects have been linked to poor knowledge of local mating behaviours or the selection of deleterious phenotypes during colonisation and long-term mass rearing. Careful selection of mating characteristics must be combined with intensive field trials to ensure phenotypic characters are not antagonistic to longevity, dispersal, or mating behaviours in released males. Success has been achieved, even when colonised vectors were less competitive, due in part to extensive field trials to ensure mating compatibility and effective dispersal. The study of male mating biology in other dipterans has improved the success of operational SIT programmes. Contributing factors include inter-sexual selection, pheromone based attraction, the ability to detect alterations in local mating behaviours, and the effects of long-term colonisation on mating competitiveness. Although great strides have been made in other SIT programmes, this knowledge may not be germane to anophelines, and this has led to a recent increase in research in this area.