Further reports of Anopheles algeriensis Theobald, 1903 (Diptera: Culicidae) in Germany, with evidence of local mass development

Abstract

Anopheles algeriensis, a thermophilic mosquito species widely distributed in the Mediterranean, is supposed to be extremely rare and to occur in very low abundances in central and northern Europe. Being one of seven native Anopheles species, it has been reported from Germany a few times only, with all but one report several decades ago. Only in 2013, the endemic persistence of the species was confirmed when two larval specimens were found north of Hamburg. We here report the trapping of An. algeriensis adults at three additional sites in northeastern Germany, with one of them representing two thirds of all mosquitoes collected over two monitored seasons, 2015 and 2017, and a second one with still 12.3% of all specimens caught during the mosquito season 2016. At a third site, one single female was trapped in 2015. Despite considerable efforts, breeding sites could not be identified at the two locations characterised by the high abundances. Anopheles algeriensis has been shown to be vector-competent for Plasmodium parasites and might locally play a role in malaria epidemiology when abundance is high.

Citizen science versus professional data collection: Comparison of approaches to mosquito monitoring in Germany

“…Species only found by active monitoring (Anopheles algeriensis, Aedes diantaeus, Culex martinii and Uranotaenia unguiculata) are either rare, bound to specific habitats outside urban areas, exophilic or do not feed on humans (Becker et al, 2010). The rediscovery of A. algeriensis and C. martinii (Kuhlisch et al, 2018b;Tippelt et al, 2018) This citizen science project has thus become an invaluable tool for surveying invasive mosquitoes, corroborating recent findings of the usefulness of passive surveillance for dealing with biological invasions (Hester & Cacho, 2017;Sladonja & Poljuha, 2018). As a practical example of management implications and the interplay of both monitoring methods, the city of Erding in Bavaria initiated eradication measurements in a cemetery after sampling provided evidence of local reproduction.…”

“…Species only found by active monitoring ( Anopheles algeriensis , Aedes diantaeus , Culex martinii and Uranotaenia unguiculata ) are either rare, bound to specific habitats outside urban areas, exophilic or do not feed on humans (Becker et al., 2010). The rediscovery of A. algeriensis and C. martinii (Kuhlisch et al., 2018b; Tippelt et al., 2018) by BG‐Sentinel trapping highlights the suitability of the active surveillance method for recording the entire mosquito diversity.…”

Nine years of mosquito monitoring in Germany, 2011–2019, with an updated inventory of German culicid species

“…algeriensis and Cx. martinii (Krüger and Tannich 2014;Kuhlisch et al 2017Kuhlisch et al , 2018bTippelt et al 2018).…”

Entomological Surveillance in Former Malaria-endemic Areas of Southern Italy

“…Although the larvae can also be collected in wells and cisterns, typical reproduction sites are banks along swamps and marshes, ponds, pools, low areas of lakes and bends of low-flowing streams, generally shaded by rich vegetation (Juncus and Phragmites spp.) [39]. In Italy, these environments were shared in the past with other Anopheles mosquitoes, such as An.…”

“…algeriensis in Sardinia, showing a larval peak in late summer and early autumn. As it is a mosquito that is both anthropophilic and zoophilic [41], this species is thought to have a certain competence in the transmission of human Plasmodia [39], even though it has never played a significant role in Italy. However, the possible involvement of this species in the transmission of Plasmodium malariae was hypothesized in Sardinia [42].…”