Abstract
Human malaria, transmitted by some Anopheles mosquitoes, remains a major public health problem. Unlike almost every other insect species, males of some Anopheles species produce and transfer steroid hormones to females during copulation to mediate reproductive changes. Steroids are consequently seen as a target for malaria vector control. However, a small fraction of mosquitoes has been studied, including malaria vector species only. Here, we analysed the evolution of sexually-transferred steroids and their effects across Anopheles by using a large set of mosquito species, including malaria vector and non-vector species. We show that male steroid production and transfer are specific to the Cellia subgenus, and are not interdependent with mating-induced phenotypes in females. Therefore, male steroid production, transfer and post-mating effects in females do not correlate with their ability to transmit human malaria, which overturns the suggestion from previous studies and suggests that manipulation of steroid-response pathways in the field does not represent an appropriate vector control strategy.