Notes on the Bionomics of Anopheles gambiae and A. funestus in East Africa

Abstract

Females of both A. gambiae and A. funestus were found to enter buildings throughout the night, but more A. gambiae entered between 1 and 4 a.m. and more A. funestus just before dawn. Males of both species entered only just before dawn.The rate of development of the ovaries was studied in individual mosquitos isolated in cages in the laboratory. The mean period between egg layings at a mean temperature of 25·5°C. was about 4¾ days in both species.It was found that females of A. gambiae and A. funestus did not normally spend more than 24 hours in any one hut; but that they rested outside buildings during the day time only when newly emerged and just before and just after egg-laying.Observations were made on the feeding and oviposition habits. It was found that females of both species would sometimes feed daily, whereas digestion of a full blood-meal occupied 24–72 hours in A. gambiae and 24–96 hours in A. funestus. The average dry season clutch of A. gambiae was 175 eggs and of A. funestus 123; wet season clutches appeared to be smaller.