The laboratory colonies of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus used for all experiments originated from eggs collected in 2016 from twelve localities along the Pacific coast of Chiapas, Mexico (S1 File , sheet 1). The twelve populations were subjected to a process of introgression through backcrosses to obtain a genetically diverse strain for each species [25 (link)]. Colonies were maintained under controlled conditions at 28 ± 2°C, 80 ± 5% relative humidity (RH), and photoperiod of 14:10 h (light: dark). Larvae were reared at a density of 1.5 larvae/ml in 61x41x7.5 cm plastic trays containing 2000 ml dechlorinated water and were fed with powdered Laboratory Rodent Diet (LabDiet, Fort Worth, Texas, USA), as described previously [25 (link)]. Pupae were sexed as a function of body size using a plate separator (John W. Hock, Model 5412, Gainesville, Florida, USA) and the genital lobe was visually checked using a Stemi 508 Stereomicroscope (Carl Zeiss). Adults were placed in 30x30x30 cm acrylic cages with nylon mesh walls (BugDorm 1; Taichung, Taiwan) maintained at 26 ± 2°C, 80 ± 5% relative humidity (RH), and 14 h:10 h (light: dark), photoperiod and supplied ad libitum with 10% sucrose solution on a cotton pad. From 4 days post-emergence, bovine blood was provided for three consecutive days using a Hemotek membrane feeding system (PS6B, Hemotek Ltd., Great Harwood, UK).
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