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

RIBgIRO, H. & RalVI08, H. Cunha -- <strong>Research</strong> o the mosquitoes of Angola X
belonging to the first group, including all man-dependant water collections
influenced by rains, were found, by decreasing order of frequency:
old rubber tyres (10), barrels and drums (4), flower vases (2), cement
water tanks (2), abandoned domestic utensils (2) and a discarded tin
of sardines. As sylvatic breeding places, consisting in naturally occurring
exclusively climate-dependant for water, were recorded:
holes and axils in living trees such as Ficus sp. and Ricinodendron sp. (7),
bamboo holes and stumps (5), holes in rotting tree (banana, papaya and
baobab) trunks (3), and a rock-pool in gallery forest covered with decaying
fallen leaves. Fig. 4 shows a typical larval biotope of C. nebulosus.
The breeding water was always markedly shadded and ranged from
clear limpid water to foul water with high organic matter content.
The figure found for the pH of the breeding water in a Ficus hole
was 7.0.
In 12 out of the 37 larval biotopes recorded for C. nebulosus no
other associated mosquito larvae were found, 8 of which in peridomestic
and 4 in sylvatic habitats. In peridomestic habitat, the species found
in association with neb.:losts were: C. p. quinque/sciatus (in 6 biotopes),
A e. aegypti (5), C. tri/ilatus (2) and C. duttoni, C. horridus, C. univittatus
and E. chrysogaster once each. In sylvatic habitat, the associated species
were: (a) in holes and axils of living trees, Aedes spp.: calceatus (3),
/ulgens (3), metallicus (2) and aegypti and marshalii once each; (b) in
bamboos, Ae. angustus and E. chrysogaster, also only once, and (c) in the
sole rock-pool recorded, E. chr?ogaster and U. mashonaensis. The apparent
exclusion of C. tigripes as an associated species of C. nebulosus
is perhaps a real one and it seems particularly intriguing as both species
haYe partly common potential breeding areas.
Though being the most common of the Ethiopian Culiciomyia, C.
nebulosus is known to be also a zoophilic mosquito (35) (37), most probably
an ornithophilic species.
7.5--Subgenus Culex Linnaeus, 1758
Nominal subgenus, with near 200 described species, is the largest
of all Culex subgenera. Though subgenus Culex is represented in all
Zoogeographical Regions, the group is mainly Ethiopian and Neotropical.
From the 66 species of this subgenus occurri_g in the Ethiopian
Estud., Ens. e Doc.- 134 65