Characteristics of Larval Anopheline (Diptera: Culicidae) Habitats in Western Kenya

Abstract

A longitudinal survey of mosquito larval habitats was carried out in Asembo Bay, western Kenya, during the rainy season of 1998. All pools of standing water along a 700-m transect were sampled twice per week. For each habitat, eight environmental variables were recorded and a sample of anopheline larvae was collected for identification. In total, 1,751 Anopheles gambiae s.l. and 2,784 Anopheles funestus Giles were identified. Identification of An. gambiae s.l. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) indicated that 240 (14.7%) were An. gambiae Giles and 858 (52.4%) were An. arabiensis Patton; PCR failed to identify 539 (32.9%) specimens. Repeated measures logistic regression analysis indicated that An. gambiae and An. arabiensis larvae were associated with small, temporary habitats with algae and little or no aquatic vegetation. Anopheles funestus larvae were associated with larger, semipermanent bodies of water containing aquatic vegetation and algae. Direct comparison of habitat characteristics associated with either An. gambiae or An. arabiensis revealed that algae were associated more commonly with habitats containing An. gambiae; no other differences were detected. Chi-square analysis indicated that these species were collected from the same habitat more frequently than would be expected by chance alone. Together, these results indicate that An. gambiae and An. arabiensis have similar requirements for the larval environment and that, at least in western Kenya, they do not segregate into separate habitats.

Environmental Management for Malaria Control: Knowledge and Practices in Mvomero, Tanzania

“…A. funestus breeds in large ponds with vegetation, sunlit swamps, rivers, and grassy areas near stream edges. A. arabiensis breeds in small, temporary habitats with little or no vegetation as well as in flooded rice fields (Gimning et al, 2009;IAMAT, 2009;Service and Townson, 2002).…”

Larval mosquito communities in discarded vehicle tires in a forested and unforested site: detritus type, amount, and water nutrient differences

“…albopictus (Livdahl and Willey 1991), although there are no data quantifying such resources in tires. Understanding the patterns of larval production from aquatic habitats is critical for understanding processes affecting adult populations (Gimnig et al 2001). …”

Influence of soil quality in the larval habitat on development of Anopheles gambiae Giles

“…The characteristics of Anopheles larval habitats are variable: a shallow larval habitat with the presence of algae is a common characteristic of anophelines (Savage et al 1990;Gimnig et al 2001, Gimnig et al 2002, Oo et al 2002, although such a correlation is not systematic. Many such larval habitats consist of animal hoof or foot prints, or small ponds of still water created by irrigation projects or rainfall.…”

“…The characteristics of the larval habitat that are adequate for a given species are still unclear. Many environmental variables can have a direct or indirect effect on anopheline oviposition (Sumba et al 2004, Rejmànkovà et al 2005) as well as on larval distribution, density, and development (Gimnig et al 2001, Oo et al 2002 and adult fitness (Briegel 1990a, Briegel 2003. Improving our knowledge of the bioecology of mosquito aquatic stages and a detailed analysis of factors that are essential to the maintenance and dispersion of mosquitoes, particularly for species of medical importance, is therefore critical for disease control.…”

“…Physicochemical factors of the water, such as temperature, salinity, concentration of carbonates and nitrates have been shown to correlate with the presence or development quality of Anopheles larvae in pools (Robert et al 1998, Gimnig et al 2001, Oo et al 2002. Otherwise, knowledge on this topic is very sparse, though the soil substrate is most probably of critical importance in the Anopheles larval habitat.…”