Black light trap collections in Wangging county and Yanji city,Jilin Province,China, August 2006–2007

Adult mosquito surveillance was conducted using black light traps in August of 2006 and 2007 at Wangging county and Yanji city, Jilin Province, China to identify the distribution of anopheline mosquitoes in northern China. A total of 2459 female mosquitoes comprising three genera and eight species including Anopheles (Anopheles) lesteri, An. (Ano.) kleini, An. (Ano.) pullus, Culex inatomii, Cx. orientalis, Cx. pipiens, Cx. bitaeniorhynchus and Aedes vexans nipponii were collected. The most commonly collected species was An. kleini which had not been previously reported from China. Anopheles sinensis sensu stricto is commonly collected throughout China, but was not collected from these areas.     

Effects of permethrin at different temperatures on pyrethroid-resistant and susceptible strains of Anopheles

The influence of temperature (16, 22, 28, 37 degrees C) on effects of permethrin was investigated for susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant strains of the mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and An. stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae). Young unfed female adult mosquitoes were exposed to 0.25% permethrin test papers or to polyester netting treated with permethrin 500mg a.i./m2. The time to 50% knockdown (KT50) declined as temperature increased, i.e. there was a positive temperature coefficient of this effect of the pyrethroid. Resistance ratios (comparing KT50 values) between resistant and susceptible An. stephensi ranged between 2.5 and 4.4 at the different temperatures. Comparative tests of pyrethroid tolerance of different strains would be valid over the 22-28 degrees C range but, when using a discriminating dose to detect resistance, more precise temperature control is desirable. Mortality 24h after exposure to 0.25% permethrin of both susceptible and resistant strains of An. stephensi showed a negative correlation with temperature between 16 and 22 degrees C and a positive correlation at higher temperatures. In An. gambiae, however, the correlation was positive over the whole range. Irritancy of permethrin-treated netting to Anopheles females (measured as time lapse until first flight take-off, and the number of take-offs during 7.5 min exposure) was positively correlated with temperature in all four strains and was much greater for the susceptible than the resistant strains.     

A report on the mosquitoes of mainland Åland,southwestern Finland and revised list of Finnish mosquitoes

To successfully implement surveillance or control strategies for mosquitoes, up‐to‐date knowledge of regional species composition is vital. The last report regarding mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Åland archipelago, southwestern Finland listed 19 species (Utrio, 1979). To determine the current species diversity, one collection trip was made to mainland Åland in 2015 and three in 2016. Mosquitoes (n = 3286) were collected as both adult and immature life stages from 88 collections within 29 1‐km² areas. Fifteen of the 19 previously reported species were obtained, leaving the current status of four species uncertain. At least 11 species previously not reported from Åland, but confirmed on the Finnish mainland, were collected. Aedes geminus Peus was identified based on examination of the gonostylus, and represents a new species distribution for Finland. Anopheles maculipennis s.s. Meigen was confirmed from cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequence data and is reinstated on the list of Finnish species, along with Ochlerotatus sticticus (Meigen). Dahliana geniculata (Olivier) was found in two locations, in 2 months, indicating that there is an established population in Åland. The present data confirm that at least 27 species inhabit mainland Åland, rising to 31 when historical data are included. The Finnish mosquito fauna is increased from 38 to 41 species.     

疟疾媒介斯氏按蚊印度品系经溴氰菊酯或溴氰菊酯增效剂选择后的繁殖劣势

了解敏感和抗性蚊虫的繁殖适合度对于规划和实施蚊虫防治计划具有重要意义。本研究分别将斯氏按蚊Anopheles stephensi幼虫用溴氰菊酯(AnD_L)及溴氰菊酯和PBO混配制剂(1∶5) (AnD_P), 或斯氏按蚊成虫用溴氰菊酯(AnD_A) 进行选择后, 在实验室内检测了起源于印度德里的斯氏按蚊亲本（AnS）和抗性品系 (AnR) 的繁殖适合度的变化,从繁殖力、生育力、卵孵化率和生殖营养周期的长度等方面评价了斯氏按蚊的繁殖适合度。结果表明：与AnS品系相比, AnR品系的生殖营养周期缩短了60%~73%。与AnS品系相比, AnR品系的产卵量显著降低, 降幅达14.5%~37.9%,对溴氰菊酯抗性最强的AnD_L40品系的产卵量降低得最多。这些结果说明溴氰菊酯抗性与繁殖劣势之间可能存在正相关。与亲本品系相比, AnD_L40品系的卵孵化率降低了19.4%~30.9%, 进一步证实了这一相关性。在RD_P品系中观察到繁殖适合度降低, 表明溴氰菊酯增效剂的选择不仅在降低溴氰菊酯抗性水平而且在降低抗性个体频率上的效率。在对溴氰菊酯几乎不具有抗性的成虫品系的选择中繁殖适合度降低, 暗示溴氰菊酯作为灭杀斯氏按蚊成虫剂的效果要好于作为杀幼虫剂的效果。这些结果提示, 通过对斯氏按蚊实施不同抗性治理策略, 种群中抗性基因型的繁殖适合度的降低可消除杂合子和抗性纯合子。     

Oviposition deterrent, ovicidal and gravid mortality effects of ethanolic extract of Andrographis paniculata Nees against the malarial vector Anopheles stephensi Liston (Diptera: Culicidae)

Oviposition is an important phenomenon of mosquitoes and has recently become the focus in the concept of integrated vector control management. In the present study, we evaluated oviposition deterrent, ovicidal and mortality effects of ethanolic extract of Andrographis paniculata Nees against gravid and oviposited females of Anopheles stephensi Liston. Water treated with the ethanolic extract had a high deterrent activity in ovipositing females: oviposition activity index values for the test species were –0.28, –0.45, –0.49 and –0.59 for extract concentrations of 29, 35, 41 and 46 p.p.m., respectively. High degrees of mortality were observed with various concentrations of extract: 1.12 (control) to 11.70 for gravid females, and 0.65 (control) to 10.25 for oviposited females. The highest mortality in both gravid and oviposited females was observed soon after they came in contact with oviposition medium treated with the extract, and this was found to be significant at doses higher than 35 p.p.m., suggesting possible contact toxicity of the extract. The extract caused moderate ovicidal activity against various age groups of A. stephensi, but it inflicted delayed effects such as high larval, pupal and adult mortality. The age of the eggs and the duration of the extract treatment influenced the ovicidal activity observed. It is clear that ethanolic extract of A. paniculata Nees can affect the oviposition cycle of A. stephensi Liston, thereby suppressing the vector population and adversely influencing transmission of the disease pathogen.     

Increased presence of the thermophilic mosquitoes and potential vectors Anopheles hyrcanus (Pallas 1771) and Culex modestus Ficalbi 1889 in Central Europe’s lower Dyje River basin (South Moravia,Czech Republic)

The presence of the thermophilic species Anopheles hyrcanus in the lower Dyje River basin has been regularly monitored since 2008. Mosquito trapping has been conducted mainly in summer using EVS traps with CO₂ as attractant. Anopheles hyrcanus and Culex modestus were studied in a group of ponds near the Czech–Austrian border. At the Sedlec location, occurrence of An. hyrcanus was low during 2008–2011, with around 1–9 individuals/trap/collection day. At the Lednice location on the edge of Mlýnský Pond, the first capture of An. hyrcanus occurred in 2010. In 2013, there was a sudden increase in the An. hyrcanus mosquito at all monitored locations. The largest presence was recorded at Sedlec and reached 524.4 individuals/trap/collection day. Culex modestus was one of the predominant species throughout the period. At Sedlec, the smallest finding was in 2009 (at 9.6 individuals) while the greatest was in 2010 (at 988.6 individuals/trap/collection day). At Lednice, the smallest finding was in 2011 (at 56.3 individuals) while the largest was in 2013 (at 3850 individuals/trap/collection day).     

DDT resistance in Anopheles gambiae declines with mosquito age

Adult Anopheles gambiae Giles mosquitoes from Zanzibar were tested on a standard discriminating dose of DDT which reliably kills susceptible mosquitoes. Adults from wild-caught larvae reared in the laboratory, and from the F1 progeny of wild-caught adults, showed less than 5% test mortality when newly-emerged, but mortality rose with age to over 90% when they were 12-14 days old. Wild-caught mixed-age adults showed an intermediate mortality rate of 25%, close to the rate predicted from laboratory results for a fully resistant population with an age-structure typical of this species in natural conditions. It is inferred that older, genetically resistant insects may be scored as susceptible, so that routine susceptibility tests with wild-caught adults underestimate the frequency of resistance. In Zanzibar, such tests probably helped to persuade spraying authorities to continue spraying DDT in spite of resistance. Resistance which is restricted to younger insects may nonetheless reduce the effectiveness of spraying.     

Effects of sugars on the kinetics of drying and on the survival of partially dehydrated larvae of Anopheles mosquitoes

The ability to cryopreserve a stage of Anopheles mosquitoes would facilitate the development of strains incapable of transmitting malaria. Cryopreservation requires that the freezable water in cell systems be removed or rendered incapable of undergoing ice formation. The present study was concerned with the rate at which water is removed from lst instar larvae of Anopheles gambiae by air-drying, with the extent of dehydration that the larvae will tolerate, and with the effect of trehalose and sucrose on both drying kinetics and survival. Eighty-one percent of the larvae are water. Air-drying removes 90% of that water in approximately 20 min. Survivals after partial dehydration are highest if the larvae are rehydrated in 1/2x isotonic saline (0.13 osm); they are poorest if rehydrated in water or 0.13 osm sucrose. In the former, about 34% survive the removal of half the water, but next to none survive the loss of >70% initial water. Prior exposure to 0.2 M trehalose for as little as 1 min slows the drying rate and increases the tolerance of the larvae to dehydration. With 30-min exposure, 88% survive the loss of 50% of their water and 63% survive the loss of 75%. Protection is abolished with 0.4 M trehalose. The results are similar with sucrose. It is substantially reduced if sugar-exposed larvae are briefly washed with water prior to drying. The protection appears not to be related to the decreased drying rate. Rather it appears related, by an unknown mechanism, to the presence of sugar on the outer surface of the larvae.     

Chromosome arm‐specific patterns of polymorphism associated with chromosomal inversions in the major African malaria vector,Anopheles funestus

Chromosomal inversions facilitate local adaptation of beneficial mutations and modulate genetic polymorphism, but the extent of their effects within the genome is still insufficiently understood. The genome of Anopheles funestus, a malaria mosquito endemic to sub‐Saharan Africa, contains an impressive number of paracentric polymorphic inversions, which are unevenly distributed among chromosomes and provide an excellent framework for investigating the genomic impacts of chromosomal rearrangements. Here, we present results of a fine‐scale analysis of genetic variation within the genome of two weakly differentiated populations of Anopheles funestus inhabiting contrasting moisture conditions in Cameroon. Using population genomic analyses, we found that genetic divergence between the two populations is centred on regions of the genome corresponding to three inversions, which are characterized by high values of F_ST, absolute sequence divergence and fixed differences. Importantly, in contrast to the 2L chromosome arm, which is collinear, nucleotide diversity is significantly reduced along the entire length of three autosome arms bearing multiple overlapping chromosomal rearrangements. These findings support the idea that interactions between reduced recombination and natural selection within inversions contribute to sculpt nucleotide polymorphism across chromosomes in An. funestus.