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Review
. 2016 Dec 22;8(1):1.
doi: 10.3390/insects8010001.

Implicating Cryptic and Novel Anophelines as Malaria Vectors in Africa

Jennifer C Stevenson  1   2 , Douglas E Norris  3
Affiliations
Review

Implicating Cryptic and Novel Anophelines as Malaria Vectors in Africa

Jennifer C Stevenson et al. Insects. .

Abstract

Entomological indices and bionomic descriptions of malaria vectors are essential to accurately describe and understand malaria transmission and for the design and evaluation of appropriate control interventions. In order to correctly assign spatio-temporal distributions, behaviors and responses to interventions to particular anopheline species, identification of mosquitoes must be accurately made. This paper reviews the current methods and their limitations in correctly identifying anopheline mosquitoes in sub-Saharan Africa, and highlights the importance of molecular methods to discriminate cryptic species and identify lesser known anophelines. The increasing number of reports of Plasmodium infections in assumed "minor", non-vector, and cryptic and novel species is reviewed. Their importance in terms of evading current control and elimination strategies and therefore maintaining malaria transmission is emphasized.

Keywords: cryptic species; identifications; incrimination; malaria; mosquitoes; novel vectors; secondary vectors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

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