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

RIBEIRO, H. & RAMOS, H. Cunha -- <strong>Research</strong> on the mosquitoes of Angola -- X
DISTRIBUTION. C. weschei seems to be a relatively rare though
widely distributed mosquito in Tropical Africa, from the Atlantic to
the Indian coasts.
Map 17 shows the only two Angolan localities known for this species.
BIOEOOLOGICAL NOTES. Larval C. weschei bred along the margins
of a pond with water-lilies and other aquatic vegetation, and in a sunlit
grassy ground pool with turbid water. The organic matter content of
both breeding places was apparently high.
Larvae of Anopheles squamosus were also found in both biotopes.
Other mosquito larvae present in one or the other of the breeding places
were: Aedeomyia africana, Anopheles coustani s. str., Culex grahami and
C. inconspicuosus.
C. weschei gediensis was reported by Someren et al. (op. cit.) as biting
man rarely, in bush.
7.5.34--Culex (Culex) zombaensis Theobald, 1901
C. zombaensis was known to occur in Angola only through the larval
records by Gfindara (10) (11), from Capelongo, Chissamba and Mulondo.
MATERIAL EXAMINED. CUBAL. 2 9, 2 plus 5 larvae, 14.IX. 1970;
HUAMBO, 1 larva, 25.I.1964; QUISSOL, 6 larvae, 23.I.1970.
TXANOMIC NOTES. In our zom.baensis larvae, head seta B is almost
always bifid, C has 3-5 branches and d is either single or bifid, the mentum
has 7 somewhat pointed teeth each side the median tooth, the comb
elements are either narrow scales or spines [not mentioned in Wolfs' description
(94)] with small median teeth and well developed basal denticles,
the siphon index is 6.5-8, the saddle hair has 3 or 4 short branches, the
upper caudal seta has 4-6 branches, and the anal papillae are from about
as long as saddle to twice its length.
Larvae of C. zombaensis are very similar to those of C. theileri and
C. univittatus. In the larval key given under 6, the separation of these
species was based on the character of the comb elements, this being the
criterium already adopted by Mattingly (27) in his correction to the key
by Hopkins (24). In the writers' experience, C. zombaensis can be sepa-
Estud.. Ens. e Doc.- 134 123