Research on the mosquitoes of Angola - Systematic Catalog of ...

RIBgIRO, H. & RAMOS, H. Cunha -- <strong>Research</strong> on the mosquitoes of Angola X
MEDES, 1 larva, 20.X.1967; MUMBONDO, 1 9, 2 larvae, 7.V.1970; MUTANGO,
13 larvae, 5-12.VI.1965, 2-4.V.1966 and 12.VI.1967; MUXIMA, 5 larvae, 29.IV.1970;
NANGURA, 2 9, 12 larvae, 9.XII.1965, 26.IV. 1966 and 4.V.1966; PANDA,
2 9, 21 larvae, 24.IV. 1965, and UECA, 3 larvae, 6.V.1966, all new locality records.
TAXONOMIC NOTES. C. poicilipes is a quite distinctive species,
easily identifiable using the adult and larval keys proposed in this paper
(see under 6). The siphon index in the Angolan larvae (30 specimens
from several localities examined) ranged from 3.0 to 4.7 (mean 3.8).
DISTRIBUTION. C. poicilipes is a largely distributed mosquito within
the Ethiopian Region. According to Edwards (8), it also penetrates
into the Mediterranean Subregion (of the Palaearctic) through the
Nile Valley. In Angola, as it is shown on Map 9, poicilipes is mainly
associated with East African biomes (see also Map 3), a pattern of
distribution already pointed out by Edwards (op. tit., p. 290).
BIOECOLOGICAL NOTES. C. poiciIipes is a breeder in stagnant and
semi-stagnant ground waters. 82 larval biotopes of C. poiciIipes were
recorded, as follows: shallow margins of slow flowing rivers (31 biotopes),
backwaters and overflown margins of receding rivers (20), small
ponds (15), pools in river margins (6) rain-water ground pools (4), and
borrow-pits, ditches and pools in swamps (two each). The breding water
is usually clean, with aquatic vegetation and exposed to sunlight. The
pH, measured in 62 biotopes, ranged from 5.0 to 7.0 (mean 5.8).
In 10 out of the 82 poicilipes breeding places, no larvae of other
mosquito species were found. In the remainder 72 larval biotopes, representatives
of genera Anopheles (in 60 biotopes), Culex (39), Aedeomyia
(11), Ficalbia (7), Uranotaenia (2) and Aedes (once) were found.
The larval mosquito species most commonly found as associates of C.
poiciIipes were, by decreasing order of frequency: Anopheles squamosus
(in 48 breeding places), An. pharoensis (30), An. ziemanni (24), Culex
univittatus (21), Aedeomyia furfurea (1l), C. theileri (10), An. coustani
s. str. and C. antennatus (9 each), An. distinctus (8) and An. argenteoIobatus
(7). Two poicilipes breeding sites are illustrated in Figs. 6 and 13.
As to the adults, 52 poicilipes females (but no males) were caught
by the writers throughout Angola, mainly along the margins of the
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