PAH knockdown leads to reduced fertility of <i>A. gambiae</i> mosquitoes.

<p><b>A)</b> The mean proportion ±SEM of ds<i>PAH</i> and ds<i>LacZ</i> (control) injected females that oviposited (Likelihood of oviposition: Fisher’s exact test, ***p<0.001). <b>B)</b> Mean number ± SEM of eggs per ovipositing female injected with either ds<i>LacZ</i> or ds<i>PAH</i>. Only females that oviposited 1 egg or more were included in the analysis (t-test, **p<0.01). <b>C)</b> Mean ± SEM hatching rate of ds<i>PAH</i> and ds<i>LacZ</i> control injected females (t-test of arc-sine square root transformed proportion, *p<0.05). <b>D)</b> Upon dissection (N = 6 per time point) we observed that ovaries of ds<i>PAH</i> injected females were smaller. Females which did not oviposit contained a large fraction of undeveloped eggs in their ovaries 5 days post blood meal. Scale bar: 400 µm. <b>E)</b> When females were placed into water-filled oviposition cups to lay eggs, we observed unmelanized eggs 24 h post-oviposition laid by ds<i>PAH</i> injected females, indicating a malfunctioning melanin biosynthesis. Scale bar: 400 µm.