Spatial and temporal distribution of anopheline larvae in two malarious areas in Sucre State, Venezuela

Abstract

The spatial and temporal distribution of anopheline larvae was studied in two coastal malarious areas of Sucre, State, Venezuela. Seven habitat types were sampled in the village of Guayana and eight species of Anopheles were collected. Anopheles aquasalis was the predominant species collected and was most abundant in the brackish marsh habitat (71 larvae per 100 samples). It was most abundant during the rainy season. At the second location, Santa Fé, six habitat types were sampled and four anopheline species were collected. Habitats where An. aquasalis was most abundant were temporary freshwater ponds (34 larvae per 100 samples) and mangroves (10.5 larvae per 100 samples). At this location it was also most abundant in the rainy season. During the dry season it was collected in small numbers in river pools (1.3 larvae per 100 samples) along with large numbers of An. pseudopunctipennis (479 larvae per 100 samples). Larval control could be an important component of the malaria control program because major habitats could be defined and presence and abundance of larvae was limited to specific times of year.

Classification of immature mosquito species according to characteristics of the larval habitat in the subtropical province of Chaco, Argentina

“…The association of Anopheles species with aquatic plants is reported by several authors (Rejmankova et al 1992, Lopes & Lozovei 1995, Rubio-Palis et al 2005, Brochero et al 2006. They were collected from large lagoons, with organic matter, exposed to partial shade or sunlight, having a pH range of 6-6.5 and a mean water temperature of 24.1°C or 26.5°C (Rejmankova et al 1992, Berti et al 1993, Lopes & Lozovei 1995, Rubio-Palis et al 2005. Lopes and Lozovei (1995) found Anopheles triannulatus (Neiva y Pinto), An.…”

Survivorship and Distribution of ImmatureAnopheles gambiaes.l. (Diptera: Culicidae) in Banambani Village, Mali

“…In general, the studies conducted by Savage et al (1990), Rejmankova et al (1991), Berti et al (1993), Fernández-Salas et al (1994, Manguin et al (1996), and Grillet (2000) focused on ecological aspects of anopheline larvae. In particular, Savage et al (1990) and Rejmankova et al (1991) reported on ecological aspects of An.…”

“…The few studies that have focused on the biological and ecological aspects of immature forms of An. pseudopunctipennis reported that larvae could also be found in artificial containers (tanks, fountains, rice paddies, and marshy meadows) and that environmental variables, including filamentous green algae, altitude, shallow water, annual rainfall, and water temperature, influence larval abundance (Shannon 1930;Hoffmann 1931;Hoffmann & Samano 1938;Rozeboom 1941;Hackett 1945;Downs et al 1948;Savage et al 1990;Rejmankova et al 1991;Fernández-Salas et al 1994;Berti et al 1993;Manguin et al 1996;Grillet 2000;Dantur Juri et al in press).…”

Temporal and spatial patterns of malaria reinfection in northeastern Venezuela.

“…These variables were derived from a GIS developed for the study area. 7 The aquatic habitats of the immature vectors were surveyed during the dry seasons in 1996 and 1997 because previous surveys did not cover the entire study area (Berti and others 8 ). Mosquito species composition, abundance, and geographic locations of current and past pre-adult surveys were incorporated into the GIS.…”