Aedes africanus

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Aedes africanus
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Culicidae
Genus: Aedes
Species: A. africanus
Binomial name
Aedes africanus
Synonyms

Stegomyia africanus

Aedes africanus is a species of mosquito that is found on the continent of Africa with the exclusion of Madagascar.[1] Aedes aegypti and Aedes africanus are the two main Yellow fever vector species in this country.[2] However, unlike most other mosquito species, Aedes africanus is mainly found in tropical forests not near wetlands.[3] Aedes africanus is one of the 8 species of mosquitos found in the Aedes Genus.[4]

Identification[edit]

This mosquito has distinct white and black strips along its body which help differentiate this genus from others in this family.[5] Females of this species are ectoparasites and can most often be found on mammals living in the tropical forests of Africa.[5]The africanus species can be distinguished from other mosquitoes in the genus Aedes by having white scales on the maxillary palpi, scutum with a patch of large white scales, and 3 large white patches on the mid-femur.[5]

Life Cycle[edit]

The lifecycle of mosquitoes in the Aedes genus.

This species is known lay its eggs in holes in trees, cut bamboos, bamboo stumps, and tree forks.[6][7] In laboratory settings, it was observed that the larvae hatch best at 27°C and the quantity of water was not a factor in embryonic development but we most often laid within 2 cm of the water surface.[8]

Disease[edit]

Very closely related to Aedes africanus, this Aedes aegypti mosquito is also a very important vector of the Yellow Fever Virus.

This species of mosquito is an essential yellow fever vector in wooded habitats.[9] In addition to being a major vector to yellow fever, Aedes africanus also spreads diseases such as Rift Valley fever that effects most mammals, dengue and West Nile Virus.[10][11] Aedes africanus feeds at dusk and dawn making it a crepuscular feeder.[12] Although this species is a vector for many diseases, because this species is mainly found in forests, primates are its main source of blood meals.[12] Early studies done on its populations suggest that when sampled for in forested areas, it made up 95% of the caught species and only 50% in surrounding villages. [13] When populations are high enough, Toxorhynchites can be brought in as a biological control as they parasitize africanus larvae based on the same brooding habitat. [14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ http://www.wrbu.org/SpeciesPages_non-ANO/non-ANO_A-hab/AEafr_hab.html
  2. ^ Masaninga F., Muleba, M., Masendu, H., Songolo, P., Mweene-Ndumba, I., Mazaba-Liwewe, M., Kamuliwo, M., Ameneshewa, B., Siziya, S., Babaniyi, O. (2014) Distribution of yellow fever vectors in the Northwestern and Western provinces, Zambia. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine. 7(1), S88-S92
  3. ^ [Sempala, S. (1981). Some laboratory observations on the biology of Aedes (Stegomyia) africanus. Insect science and it application. 2(3), 189-195]
  4. ^ Huang, Y. (1990) The subgenus Stegomyia of Aedes in the Afrotropical region. I. The africanus group of species (Diptera: Culicidae). Contributions of the American Entomological Institute. 26(1) 3-90
  5. ^ a b c Huang, Y. (1990) The subgenus Stegomyia of Aedes in the Afrotropical region. I. The africanus group of species (Diptera: Culicidae). Contributions of the American Entomological Institute. 26(1) 3-90
  6. ^ [ Schaeffer, B., Mondet, B., Touzeau, S. 2008. Using a climate-dependent model to predict mosquitoe abundance: Application to Aedes (Stegomyia) africanus and Aedes (Diceromyia) furcifer (Diptera: Culicidae). Genetics and Evolution. 8(4). 422-432 ]
  7. ^ Huang, Y. (1990) The subgenus Stegomyia of Aedes in the Afrotropical region. I. The africanus group of species (Diptera: Culicidae). Contributions of the American Entomological Institute. 26(1) 3-90
  8. ^ [Sempala, S. (1981). Some laboratory observations on the biology of Aedes (Stegomyia) africanus. Insect science and it application. 2(3), 189-195]
  9. ^ [Sempala, S. (1981). Some laboratory observations on the biology of Aedes (Stegomyia) africanus. Inscet science and it application. 2(3), 189-195]
  10. ^ http://www.wrbu.org/SpeciesPages_non-ANO/non-ANO_A-hab/AEafr_hab.html
  11. ^ http://www.ianphi.org/whatwedo/projects/uganda5.html
  12. ^ a b Ross, R., Gillett, J. (1950) The cyclical transmission of yellow fever virus through the Grivet monkey, Cercopithecus aethiops centralis Neumann, and the Mosquito Aedes (Stegomyia) africanus Theobald. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology. 44(4) 351
  13. ^ Bang, Y., Brown, D., Arata, A. (1980) Ecological studies on Aedes Africanus (Diptera: Culicidae) and Associated species in southeastern Nigeria. Journal of Medical Entomology. 17(5) 411-416
  14. ^ Sempala, S. (1982) Interactions between immature Aedes africanus (Theobald) and larvae of two predatory species of Toxorhynchites (Diptera: Culicidae) in Zika Forest, Uganda. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 73(1), 19-24
  • Sempala, S. (1982) Interactions between immature Aedes africanus (Theobald) and larvae of two predatory species of Toxorhynchites (Diptera: Culicidae) in Zika Forest, Uganda. Bulletin of Entomological Research. 73(1), 19-24
  • Bang, Y., Brown, D., Arata, A. (1980) Ecological studies on Aedes Africanus (Diptera: Culicidae) and Associated species in southeastern Nigeria. Journal of Medical Entomology. 17(5) 411-416
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