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. 2023 Feb 17;20(4):3597.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043597.

Species Composition, Seasonal Abundance, and Biting Behavior of Malaria Vectors in Rural Conhane Village, Southern Mozambique

Graça Salomé  1   2 , Megan Riddin  1 , Leo Braack  1   3
Affiliations

Species Composition, Seasonal Abundance, and Biting Behavior of Malaria Vectors in Rural Conhane Village, Southern Mozambique

Graça Salomé et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Malaria vector surveillance provides important data to inform the effective planning of vector control interventions at a local level. The aim of this study was to determine the species diversity and abundance, biting activity, and Plasmodium infectivity of Anopheles mosquitoes from a rural village in southern Mozambique. Human landing catches were performed monthly between December 2020 and August 2021. All collected Anopheles were identified to the species level and tested for the presence of malaria parasites. Eight Anopheles species were identified among the 1802 collected anophelines. Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) were the most abundant (51.9%) and were represented by Anopheles quadriannulatus and Anopheles arabiensis. Anopheles funestus s.l. represented 4.5%. The biting activity of An. arabiensis was more pronounced early in the evening and outdoors, whereas that of An. funestus sensu stricto (s.s.) was more intense late in the night, with no significant differences in location. One An. funestus s.s. and one An. arabiensis, both collected outdoors, were infected with Plasmodium falciparum. The overall entomologic inoculation rate was estimated at 0.015 infective bites per person per night. The significant outdoor and early evening biting activity of An. arabiensis and An. funestus found in this village may negatively impact the effectiveness of current vector control interventions. Additional vector control tools that can target these mosquitoes are needed.

Keywords: Anopheles; Mozambique; feeding behavior; seasonal abundance.

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Conflict of interest statement

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

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map showing Conhane Village in Chókwè, Gaza Province, Mozambique.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proportions of An. funestus s.s. (n = 76), An. arabiensis (n = 117), An. quadriannulatus (n = 812), and rainfall (total = 822 mm) by season in Conhane Village.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Monthly human biting rates of An. funestus s.s., An. arabiensis, and An. quadriannulatus, and rainfall in Conhane village.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Hourly night human biting rates of An. funestus s.s. (a), An. arabiensis (b), and An. quadriannulatus (c) from Conhane village. The continuous lines represent the biting rates indoors, and the dashed lines represent the biting rates outdoors.
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