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FIGURE 4 in Synopsis of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Romania

FIGURE 4. The known distribution of Aedes cantans in Romania (Ungureanu 1940a, 1942a; Giurcă 1984; Ciolpan et al. 1998; Prioteasa & Fălcuță, 2010; Fălcuță et al. 2011; Török 2017)

FIGURE 5 in Synopsis of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Romania

FIGURE 5. The known distribution of Aedes caspius in Romania (Edwards 1921; Zotta 1932; Ungureanu 1940a, 1942a; Danc- escu 1980; Giurcă 1984; Nicolescu & Velehorschi 1988; Velehorshi et al. 1990; Ciolpan et al. 1998; Prioteasa et al. 2013; Török et al. 2016; Ionică et al. 2017; Török 2017).

FIGURE 6 in Synopsis of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Romania

FIGURE 6. The known distribution of Aedes cataphylla in Romania (Ungureanu 1940a,b, 1942a; Ciolpan et al. 1998; Török 2017).

FIGURE 23 in Synopsis of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Romania

FIGURE 23. The known distribution of Aedes vexans in Romania (Ungureanu 1940a, 1942a; Dancescu 1980; Ciolpan et al. 1998; Velehorshi et al. 1990; Prioteasa et al. 2013; Török et al. 2016; Ionică et al. 2017; Török 2017).

FIGURE 31 in Synopsis of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Romania

FIGURE 31. The known distribution of Anopheles maculipennis in Romania (Zotta 1938; Zotta et al. 1940; Săndulesco & Marotinesco 1957; Cristesco 1966; Fălcuţă et al. 2010).

FIGURE 27 in Synopsis of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Romania

FIGURE 27. The known distribution of Anopheles claviger in Romania (Zotta 1938; Ungureanu 1940a, 1942a; Giurcă et al. 1983; Ciolpan et al. 1998; Ionică et al. 2017).

FIGURE 30 in Synopsis of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Romania

FIGURE 30. The known distribution of Anopheles maculipennis s.l. in Romania (Zotta 1932; Martini & Zotta 1934; Ungureanu 1940a, 1942b; Ciucă et al. 1964; Lupașco & Duport 1968; Bîlbîe et al. 1978, 1983; Giurcă et al. 1983; Giurcă 1984; Bîlbîe & Nicolescu 1986; Velehorshi et al. 1990; Ciolpan et al. 1998; Nicolescu et al. 2004; Fălcuţă et al. 2008, 2010, 2011; Ivanescu et al. 2015; Prioteasa et al. 2013; Török et al. 2016; Ionică et al. 2017).

FIGURE 14 in Synopsis of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Romania

FIGURE 14. The known distribution of Aedes geniculatus in Romania (Ungureanu 1940a, 1942a; Dancescu 1980; Ciolpan et al. 1998).

FIGURE 36 in Synopsis of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Romania

FIGURE 36. The known distribution of Coquillettidia buxtoni in Romania (Giurcă et al. 1983; Nicolescu & Velehorschi 1988).

FIGURE 34 in Synopsis of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Romania

FIGURE 34. The known distribution of Anopheles plumbeus in Romania (Ciolpan et al. 1998; Ungureanu 1940a, 1942a; Ionică et al. 2017).

opencc-zeroDec 2019View details →

Lure, retain, and catch malaria mosquitoes. How heat and humidity improve odour-baited trap performance

Background: When seeking a human for a blood meal, mosquitoes use several cues to detect and find their hosts. From this knowledge, counter-flow odour-baited traps have been developed that use a combination of CO2, odour-blend, visual cues and circulating airflow to attract and capture mosquitoes. Initially developed for monitoring, these traps are now also being considered as promising vector control tools. These traps are attractive to host-seeking mosquitoes, but their capture efficiency is low. It has been hypothesized that the lack of short-range host cues such as heat and increased local humidity often prevents mosquitoes from getting close enough to get caught; this lack might even trigger avoidance manoeuvres near the capture region. Methods: We tested how close-range host cues affect the flight behaviour of Anopheles female malaria mosquitoes around odour-baited traps, and how this affects trap capture performance. For this, a novel counter-flow odour-baited trap was developed, the M-Tego. In addition to the usual CO2 and odour-blend, this trap can provide the short-range host cues heat and humidity. By systematically adding or removing these two cues, we tested how this affected the trap capture percentages and flight behaviour. We first compared capture percentages of the M-Tego with and without short-range host cues to the BG-Suna trap, in both laboratory and semi-field testing. Then, we used machine-vision techniques to track the three-dimensional flight movements of mosquitoes around the M-Tego. Results: With heat and humidity present, the M-Tego captured significantly more mosquitoes as capture percentages almost doubled. Comparing the flight behaviour around the M-Tego with variable close-range host cues showed that when these cues were present, flying mosquitoes were more attracted to the trap and spent more time there. In addition, we found that the M-Tego has a better capture mechanism than the BG-Suna, most likely because it does not elicit previously-observed upward avoiding manoeuvres. Conclusions: Our results suggest that adding heat and humidity to an odour-baited trap lures more mosquitoes close to the trap and retains them there longer, resulting in higher capture performance. These findings support the development of control tools for fighting mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria.

opencc-zeroAug 2020View details →

St Kitts Mosquito Survey and Model November 2017 to March 2019

Background: High quality mosquito surveys that collect fine resolution local data on mosquito species' abundances provide baseline data to help us understand potential host-pathogen-mosquito relationships, accurately predict disease transmission, and target mosquito control efforts in areas at risk of mosquito borne diseases. Methods: As part of an investigation into arboviral sylvatic cycles on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, we carried out an island wide mosquito survey from November 2017 to March 2019. Using Biogents Sentinel 2 and miniature CDC light traps that were set monthly and run for 48 hour intervals, we collected mosquitoes from a total of 30 sites distributed across the five common land covers on the island (agricultural, mangrove, rainforest, scrub, and urban). We developed a mixed effects negative binomial regression model to predict the effects of land cover, seasonality, and precipitation on observed counts of the most abundant mosquito species we found. Results: We captured 10 of the 14 mosquito species reported on the island, the four most abundant being Aedes taeniorhynchus , Culex quinquefasciatus , Aedes aegpyti , and Deinocerites magnus. Sampling in the mangroves yielded the most mosquitoes, with Ae. taeniorhynchus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, and De. magnus predominating. Aedes aegypti was recovered primarily from urban and agricultural habitats, but also at lower frequency in other land covers. Psorophora pygmaea and Toxorhynchites guadeloupensis were only captured in scrub habitat. Capture rates in rainforests were low. Our models indicated the relative abundance of the four most common species varied seasonally and with land cover. They also suggested that the extent to which monthly average precipitation influenced counts varied according to species. Conclusions: This study demonstrates there is high seasonality in mosquito abundances and that land cover influenced the distribution and abundance of mosquito species on St. Kitts. Further, human-adapted mosquito species (e.g. Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus ) that are known vectors for many human relevant pathogens are the most wide-spread (across land covers) and the least responsive to seasonal variation in precipitation.

opencc-zeroNov 2020View details →

Malaria vector mosquito images

We created a novel database of mosquito images by sampling live mosquitoes from established colonies maintained by the Malaria Research and Reference Reagent Resource (MR4)/ Biodefense and Emerging Infections (BEI) Resources at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA. Adults of both sexes were imaged from 15 species of mosquitoes from there genera, 13 Anopheles, 2 Culex and 1 Aedes. There are a total of 1,709 images. We included an additional strain of An. gambiae s.s. resulting in two categories of this species: G3 and KISUMU1. Finally, for An. stephensi we captured images of mosquitoes using the two methods of storing mosquitoes, freezing versus dried samples. Images are folders labeled by genus, species, strain, sex and storage method.

opencc-zeroDec 2019View details →

Wolbachia infection in wild mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae): Implications for transmission modes and host-endosymbiont associations in Singapore

Background: Wolbachia are intracellular bacterial endosymbionts found in most insect lineages. In mosquitoes, the influence of these endosymbionts on host reproduction and arboviral transmission has spurred numerous studies aimed at using Wolbachia infection as a vector control technique. However, there are several knowledge gaps in the literature and little is known about natural Wolbachia infection across species, their transmission modes, or associations between various Wolbachia lineages and their hosts. This study aims to address these gaps by exploring mosquito-Wolbachia associations and their evolutionary implications. Methods: We conducted tissue-specific polymerase chain reaction screening for Wolbachia infection in the leg, gut and reproductive tissues of wild mosquitoes from Singapore using the Wolbachia surface protein gene (wsp) molecular marker. Mosquito-Wolbachia associations were explored using three methods— tanglegram, distance-based, and event-based methods—and by inferred instances of vertical transmission and host shifts. Results: Adult mosquitoes (271 specimens) representing 14 genera and 40 species were screened for Wolbachia. Overall, 21 species (51.2%) were found positive for Wolbachia, including five in the genus Aedes and five in the genus Culex. To our knowledge, Wolbachia infections have not been previously reported in seven of these 21 species: Aedes nr. fumidus, Aedes annandalei, Uranotaenia obscura, Uranotaenia trilineata, Verrallina butleri, Verrallina sp. and Zeugnomyia gracilis. Wolbachia were predominantly detected in the reproductive tissues, which is an indication of vertical transmission. However, Wolbachia infection rates varied widely within a mosquito host species. There was no clear signal of cophylogeny between the mosquito hosts and the 12 putative Wolbachia strains observed in this study. Host shift events were also observed. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the mosquito-Wolbachia relationship is complex and that combinations of transmission modes and multiple evolutionary events likely explain the observed distribution of Wolbachia diversity across mosquito hosts. These findings have implications for a better understanding of the diversity and ecology of Wolbachia and for their utility as biocontrol agents.

opencc-zeroDec 2020View details →

Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes as vectors of Plasmodium vivax and falciparum, Horn of Africa, 2019

An. stephensi, an efficient malaria vector in parts of Asia and Africa, was observed in 75.3% of water sources surveyed, and contributed to 80.9% of wild-caught Anopheles mosquitoes in Awash Sebat Kilo, Ethiopia. High susceptibility of these mosquitoes to Plasmodium falciparum and vivax infection presents a challenge for malaria control in the Horn of Africa. This study was conducted in Awash Sebat Kilo, Ethiopia, an area of perennial malaria transmission, from April to September 2019. We examined aquatic habitats for immature-stage Anopheles mosquitoes by standard dipping (10x/site) for 5 consecutive days. We assessed mosquito resting, feeding, and host-seeking behavior.

opencc-zeroDec 2020View details →

Last-come, best served? Mosquito biting order and Plasmodium transmission

A pervasive characteristic of parasite infections is their tendency to be overdispersed. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this overdispersed distribution is of key importance as it may impact the transmission dynamics of the pathogen. Although multiple factors ranging from environmental stochasticity to inter-individual heterogeneity may explain parasite overdispersion, parasite infection is also observed to be overdispersed in inbred host population maintained under laboratory conditions, suggesting that other mechanisms at play. Here, we show that the aggregated distribution of malaria parasite within mosquito vectors is partially explained by a temporal heterogeneity in parasite infectivity triggered by the bites of mosquitoes. The transmission of the parasite was tripled between the first and the last blood fed mosquito in a period of only three hours. Surprisingly the increase in transmission is not associated with an increase in parasite investment in the production of the transmissible stage. Overall, we highlight that Plasmodium is capable of responding to the bites of mosquitoes to increase its own transmission at a much faster pace than initially thought and that this is partly responsible for overdispersed distribution of infection. We discuss the underlying mechanisms as well as the broader implications of this plastic response for the epidemiology of malaria.

opencc-zeroJan 2021View details →

Size, not temperature, drives cyclopoid copepod predation of invasive mosquito larvae

During range expansion, invasive species can experience new thermal regimes. Differences between the thermal performance of local and invasive species can alter species interactions, including predator-prey interactions. The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is a known vector of several viral diseases of public health importance. It has successfully invaded many regions across the globe and currently threatens to invade regions of the UK where conditions would support seasonal activity. We assessed the functional response and predation efficiency (percentage of prey consumed) of the cyclopoid copepods Macrocyclops albidus and Megacyclops viridis from South East England, UK against newly-hatched French Ae. albopictus larvae across a relevant temperature range (15, 20, and 25ºC). Predator-absent controls were included in all experiments to account for background prey mortality. We found that both M. albidus and M. viridis display type II functional response curves, and that both would therefore be suitable biocontrol agents in the event of an Ae. albopictus invasion in the UK. No significant effect of temperature on the predation interaction was detected by either type of analysis. However, the predation efficiency analysis did show differences due to predator species. The results suggest that M. viridis would be a superior predator against invasive Ae. albopictus larvae due to the larger size of this copepod species, relative to M. albidus. Our work highlights the importance of size relationships in predicting interactions between invading prey and local predators.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →

Data from: Hybridization, natural selection and evolution of reproductive isolation: a 25-years survey of an artificial sympatric area between two mosquito sibling species of the Aedes mariae complex

Natural selection can act against maladaptive hybridization between co-occurring divergent populations leading to evolution of reproductive isolation among them. A critical unanswered question about this process that provides a basis for the theory of speciation by reinforcement, is whether natural selection can cause hybridization rates to evolve to zero. Here we investigated this issue in two sibling mosquitoes species, Aedes mariae and Ae. zammitii, that show post-mating reproductive isolation (F1 males sterile) and partial pre-mating isolation (different height of mating swarms) that could be reinforced by natural selection against hybridization. In 1986, we created an artificial sympatric area between the two species and sampled about 20,000 individuals over the following 25 years. Between 1986 to 2011, the composition of mating swarms and the hybridization rate between the two species were investigated across time in the sympatric area. Our results showed that Ae. mariae and Ae. zammitii have not completed reproductive isolation since their first contact in the artificial sympatric area. We have discussed the relative role of factors such as time of contact, gene flow, strength of natural selection, and biological mechanisms causing prezygotic isolation to explain the observed results.

opencc-zeroMar 2020View details →

The influence of feeding behaviour and temperature on the capacity of mosquitoes to transmit malaria

Insecticide-treated bed nets reduce malaria transmission by limiting contact between mosquito vectors and human hosts when mosquitoes feed during the night. However, malaria vectors can also feed in the early evening and in the morning when people are not protected. Here, we explored how timing of blood feeding interacts with environmental temperature to influence the capacity of Anopheles mosquitoes to transmit the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. In laboratory experiments, we found no effect of biting time itself on the proportion of mosquitoes that became infectious (vector competence) at constant temperature. However, when mosquitoes were maintained under more realistic fluctuating temperatures there was a significant increase in competence for mosquitoes feeding in the evening (18:00h), and a significant reduction in competence for those feeding in the morning (06:00h), relative to those feeding at midnight (00:00h). These effects appear to be due to thermal sensitivity of malaria parasites during the initial stages of parasite development within the mosquito, and the fact that mosquitoes feeding in the evening experience cooling temperatures during the night, whereas mosquitoes feeding in the morning quickly experience warming temperatures that are inhibitory to parasite establishment. A transmission dynamics model illustrates that such differences in competence could have important implications for malaria prevalence, the extent of transmission that persists in the presence of bed nets, and the epidemiological impact of behavioural resistance. These results indicate the interaction of temperature and feeding behaviour could be a major ecological determinant of the vectorial capacity of malaria mosquitoes.