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On the Evening Biting Activity of three neotropical Anopheles in Trinidad, British West Indies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

R. A. Senior White
Affiliation:
Entomologist, Malaria Division, Health Department, Trinidad, B. W. I.

Extract

Lumsden's “standard sunset” period observations have been repeated with the three commonest species of Anopheles occurring in Trinidad. The method was modified to yield data on the ovarian and fertilisation states of these three species over a period of ten months which included the dates of the latest and earliest sunset at 10°N.

A. aquasalis comprised nearly 95 per cent. of a total catch of 8,592 specimens. Just over 18 per cent. of those that attacked were newly emerged, and no more than half of these were fertilised. Relict eggs, denoting a second or later gonotrophic cycle, were found in February, June and July. The 40 minutes from sunset + 20 minutes yielded nearly 80 per cent. of the total of the first two hours of activity, this period comprising nearly half the estimated total night's attack. From one hour after sunset the proportion of newly emerged specimens that attack is well below the mean. The second hour after sunset therefore provided the greatest infection risk when age, not numbers attacking, is considered.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1953

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References

Lumsden, W. H. R. (1952). The crepuscular biting activity of insects in the forest canopy in Bwamba, Uganda.—Bull. ent. Res., 42, pp. 721760.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Senior White, R. A. (1951). Studies on the bionomics of Anopheles aquasalis Curry, 1932. Part II.—Indian J. Malar, 5, pp. 465512.Google ScholarPubMed
Senior White, R. A., Lewis, G. & Lee, P. (1953). On swarming and mating in Anopheles aquasalis Curry.—Bull. ent. Res., 44, pp. 163173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar