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Further observations on the vertical distribution of flying mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in West African savanna

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

W. F. Snow
W. F. Snow
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
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Abstract

The vertical distribution of flying mosquitoes was investigated in separate experiments in open savanna and over a fallow field system near Keneba Village in the tidal zone of the Gambia using suction traps located at seven levels (0·1, 0·25, 0·5, 1·0, 2·1, 3·9 and 7·9 m) on a scaffolding tower. Mosquito density declined progressively with height for Anopheles melas Theo., An. pharoensis Theo., An. squamosus Theo., An. ziemanni Grünb., Aedes dalzieli (Theo.), Ae. punctothoracis (Theo.), Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles and Mansonia spp. Catches of C. thalassius Theo. and C. invidiosus Theo. increased with height to around 1 m and then decreased steadily although the 7·9–m trap consistently captured more C. thalassius than the trap below, presenting a bimodal vertical distribution profile. Flight altitudes of the two most abundant species, An. melas and C. thalassius, declined as the night progressed, but wind speed and lunar phase had no clear or consistent effects on flight levels. A functional relationship between flight altitudes and dispersal patterns of mosquitoes is suggested.

Information

Type
Original Articles
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 72 , Issue 4 , December 1982 , pp. 695 - 708
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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