The Fauna of Mosquitoes (Diptera,Culicidae) of the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve (Komi Republic)

Entomological Review - New data are presented on the fauna and ecology of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve in the Komi Republic, based on collections performed in...     

Survey of the Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Mayotte

A transversal survey of immature mosquitoes was conducted on Mayotte Island (France) in the Comoros Archipelago, western Indian Ocean, with the aim to inventory the Culicidae and to document inter-species relationships in different habitats. In total 420 habitats were sampled for larvae and/or pupae mosquitoes, resulting in more than 6,000 specimens. Forty species belonging to 15 genera were collected, with eight taxa integrated for the first time to the Mayotte mosquito list. The most frequently recorded species were Stegomyia aegypti, St. albopicta, Anopheles gambiae and Eretmapodites subsimplicipes, the first three species being known vectors of viruses and parasites transmitted to humans. Mean species richness in habitats ranged from 1.00 to 3.29, with notable differences between habitats. For example, water-filled axils of banana leaves, tree-holes and crab-holes had low species richness, while cut bamboo, water pools, abandoned tires and marsh and swamp water had notably higher species richness. Twenty-seven mosquito species belonging to 12 genera were routinely collected (in ≥20% of at least one type of larval habitat) suggesting that multiple species play a role in the biocenosis of these aquatic habitats. Multispecies association was observed in 52% of the habitats. The co-occurrence of up to six species belonging to five genera was recorded in a single habitat. The mosquitoes of Mayotte show notable biogeographical affinities to those of Madagascar, as compared to the African continent. These two potential source areas are nearly equidistant from Mayotte, which in turn indicates biased dispersal from east to west. Our findings suggest that with relatively short-term intensive sampling in different habitats, it is possible to approach exhaustive species inventories based on collection of larvae. Mayotte, with its modest elevation range and land surface, has a notable species richness of mosquitoes with 45 well-documented species belonging to 15 genera.     

Mosquitoes (Diptera,Culicidae) of the Morava River floodplain,Slovakia

Research on the Morava River floodplain mosquito fauna was carried out from April to October in 2009 and 2010. Altogether, 5864 adults were collected and identified from 12 selected sites. The presence of 28 mosquito species belonging to 6 genera were confirmed in the study area. The floodplain of the Morava River is known for its frequent inundation every year. The floods are quite irregular and often followed by the mass production of mosquitoes. The most abundant species were Aedes vexans (41.4%), Ae. cinereus (7.5%), Ae. rossicus (16.7%), Ochlerotatus sticticus (20.5%), and Culex pipiens (3.1%). Ae. vexans and Oc. sticticus are typical outbreak species for the Morava River floodplain. The years 2009 and 2010 differed in the number of floods, which influenced the mosquito faunal composition and abundance during the year.     

Ultrastructural Diversity of the Manchette in Spermatids of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)

An ultrastructural study of the manchette was carried out on 21 species belonging to the culicid genera Aedes, Anopheles, Culex and Toxorhynchites . Each genus has a characteristic morphological type of manchette. Toxorhynchites seems to have the type found in many other Diptera, while the other genera have unusual types.     

No Evidence for Kin Discrimination in Cannibalistic Tree-Hole Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)

Kin selection theory suggests that cannibalism is more likely to spread and be maintained if cannibalism of close relatives can be preferentially avoided. One important group of insects in which kin discrimination might be expected to evolve is cannibalistic tree-hole mosquitoes. Larvae of these species develop in small, ephemeral water bodies, where they regularly encounter both relatives and nonrelatives. In this study we compared the degree of sib cannibalism with the degree of nonsib cannibalism in two ecologically distinct mosquito species: an anautogenous (blood-feeding) detritivore Trichoprosopon digitatum (Culicinae) and an autogenous predator Toxorhynchites moctezuma (Toxorhynchitinae). Despite a wealth of literature documenting kin-biased discrimination in other insects, neither of these tree-hold mosquito species preferentially consumed nonrelatives. In the case of Tr. digitatum, the size-dependent nature of larval cannibalism may preclude additional selection for preferential consumption of nonrelatives, but in the autogenous Tx. moctezuma the direct nutritive and indirect competitive benefits of indiscriminate cannibalism may outweigh the immediate costs of consuming a relative.     

Louse Flies (Diptera,Hippoboscidae) in Bird Nests in Voronezh Province

Entomological Review - Eight species of louse flies were recorded on 22 bird species as the result of research carried out in 2008–2018 in Voronezh Province of Russia. Five species are...     

Contributions to the mosquito fauna (Diptera, Culicidae) of Belgorod Province

The results of long-term studies of mosquitoes in Belgorod Province are reported. The material was collected at 54 sites situated in 15 districts of the province. Different biotopes were investigated during the spring-autumn period. Larvae and adult mosquitoes were used for identification. A total of 27 mosquito species were found in the region examined. The following species were recorded for the first time: Ae. (Och.) communis. Ae. (Och.) diantaeus. Ae. (Och.) pulchritarsis. Ae. (Och.) sticticus, and Cx. (Bar.) modestus; and also the form Cx. (Cux.) pipiens pipiens biotype molestus. The frequency of occurrence of each species in different biotopes and different localities is given. The most widespread and common species in Belgorod Province include Ae. (Och.) cantans (Mg.), Ae. (Och.) cataphylla Dyar, Ae. (Fin.) geniculatus (Ol.), Ae. (Adm.) vexans (Mg.), Cx. (Cux.) pipiens, and Cx. (Cux.) pipiens pipiens biotype molestus.     

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of anthropogenic territories in the North of Tomsk Region (by an example of the Strezhevoy town)

An ecological-faunistic analysis of mosquitoes has been carried out in the Strezhevoy town (Tomsk Region). Thirty-one species of mosquitoes have been recorded in the territory examined. The population peak of mosquitoes is recorded in the 1-2 ten-days of July. Characteristics of the biotopic distribution and daily activity of the dominant mosquito species are revealed. Limiting factors of daily activity of mosquitoes in the investigated territory are characterized.     

The Origin of the Northern Palaearctic Fauna of Bloodsucking Insects,by the Example of Fleas (Siphonaptera), Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), and Blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae)

The territory of Fennoscandia and northwestern European Russia was released from the glacier cover in the Upper Pleistocene and has been recolonized by bloodsucking insects during the last 11 thousand years. The sources of formation of the Northern Palaearctic fauna of such groups of bloodsucking insects as fleas (Siphonaptera), mosquitoes (Culicidae), and blackflies (Simuliidae) were different in the postglacial period. One of the sources was the fauna of the ancient Mediterranean and southern Europe, while others were the faunas of northeastern China and Primorye. In turn, the two latter sources are closely related to the ancient faunal centers of the East Asian Subregion of the Palaearctic and also of the Indomalayan Region. Besides, some species and genera have spread from the West American Subregion of the Nearctic through Beringia.     

Conspecific Sharing of Breeding Sites by Anopheline Female Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) Inferred from Microsatellite Markers

The number of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles arabiensis females that used each of the 33 sampled breeding sites in west Kenya was estimated by microsatellite markers and related statistics to test the hypothesis that conspecific females share aquatic sites. Totally, 166 An. gambiae and 168 An. arabiensis larvae were identified and were genotyped. The mean number of larvae per breeding site was 8.3 for An. gambiae and 8.4 for An. arabiensis. The likelihood method estimated that, for An. gambiae, the mean number of females that would have laid eggs per breeding site was 5.2 and ranged from 2 to 9, and for An. arabiensis, the mean was 5.0 with a range of 2–10. The clustering method estimated that the mean number of females laying eggs per breeding site was 6.8 for An. gambiae. The results provide molecular evidence that females of one or both species share breeding sites.     

Distribution ranges of malarial mosquitoes other than Anopheles maculipennis species (Diptera, Culicidae) in Russia

Maps and distribution data for six species of the genus Anopheles in Russia are given.     

Population dynamics of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and their disease-harboring rates in Gyeonggi province,South Korea

Population dynamics and species composition of mosquitoes were monitored in a suburban residential area and rural areas, including a migratory bird refuge area and a cattle farm area, from 2017 to 2019. Mosquitoes were collected every two weeks using one BG sentinel trap and two black-light traps in a suburban residential area and a migratory bird refuge area, and one black-light trap in a cattle farm area from March to November. From the surveillance, a total of 13,267, 9,697 and 6,688 mosquitoes were collected in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively. The peak of the mosquito population was observed in August and September in both the suburban residential area and rural areas. In general, Culex pipiens pallens was the dominant species in the suburban residential area, whereas Aedes vexans nipponii and Anopheles spp. were the most dominant in the rural areas. Collected mosquitoes were pooled into groups for each collection site and species to investigate flavivirus harboring. Three pools were positive for Japanese encephalitis virus type V, one pool was positive for Chaoyang virus, and six pools were positive for Culex flavi virus from the 731 pools tested. When total numbers of collected mosquitoes were further analyzed by linear regression analysis for their interaction with ambient temperature and relative humidity, the number of mosquitoes were significantly affected by the ambient temperature. In contrast, relative humidity was significantly affecting the total number of mosquitoes only for the migratory bird refuge area.     

Description of a new species Anopheles (Cellia) kosiensis (Diptera: Culicidae) from Zululand, South Africa

ABSTRACT. The Anopheles marshallii group of mosquitoes consists of four chromosomally typed species of which three have already been described and named. The fourth chromosomal species, formally known as species E, is described here as Anopheles kosiensis from Kosi Bay, Zululand, South Africa. A photograph of the X chromosome is given. The taxonomic status of Anopheles pitchfordi , a synonym of marshallii , is discussed.