Anopheles claviger

Appearance

Female "An. claviger" is distinguished from other related species from its brownish colour and dark palps. It is also generally larger than others. The proboscis is dark-brown while the antennae are brown. The scales on the wings are dark, evenly distributed without any dark spot. The thorax and abdomen are brown with lighter colour at the posterior end. "An. petragnani" are generally darker than typical "An. claviger". Males are basically similar but have complex arrangements of setae with dinstinct gonostyle.

Naming

"Anopheles claviger" was first described by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1804. However due to its close resemblance with other anopheline mosquitoes, the systematics was variously changed. Originally Meigen named it "Culex claviger" which he changed it to "An. bifurcutus" in 1818. This was for a long period the accepted binomial but soon they realised that Carl Linnaeus had already used the name for the males of "Culex pipiens". After a decade James Francis Stephens renamed it "An. grisescens" in 1828. A number of scientific names was introduced after they were discovered from one region after another. Some recognised synonyms are:
⤷  "An. amaurus" Martini
⤷  "An. grisescens" Stephens
⤷  "An. habibi" Mulligan and Puri
⤷  "An. missiroli" Del Vecchio
⤷  "An. pollutus" Canamares
⤷  "An. turkestani" Shingarev
⤷  "An. villosus" Robineau-Desvoidy

Italian biologists G. Del Vecchio in 1939 and G. Lupascu in 1941 were the first to notice that "An. claviger" comprised two morphologically distinct species. In 1962 M. Coluzzi revised the taxonomic status by classifying "An. claviger" as a species complex inclusive of "An. petragnani". The species could be identified only on small structural variation in the pupal stages, but is now identified using biochemical and molecular tools.

Distribution

"Anopheles claviger" is found throughout Palearctic ecozone including Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Serbia and Montenegro, extending to Middle East, China and Siberia. Member of the species complex "An. petragnani" is found only in western Mediterranean including France and Spain, up to Turkey, and absent from beyond.

Behavior

"An. claviger" adults are most abundant in May and September during which maximum biting on humans takes place. The larval forms are most abundant during cold season from October to the next April. Larvae are generally found in cool and clean water. In the Mediterranean region they are commonly found in wells and water containers. In cold area the larvae hibernate during winter but in warmer climate, they do not hibernate although development is slow. Larvae of "An. petragnani" are slightly different in that they can tolerate higher water temperature. Therefore they can be found during summer under rockholes, ditches, canals and river banks. Mature larvae develop in the eggs 5 to 7 days after oviposition. Most eggs hatch within the next three days, but some may take up to one month. Females of the second generation generally lay fewer eggs than those of the first generation. Egg maturation requires blood meal and about six days are required for blood digestion. Females attack human soon after they mate with males. They bite during broad daylight. Females hardly live inside houses so that biting occurs in open places. Unlike other anopheline mosquitoes which deposit their eggs directly on the water surface, female "An. claviger" lays eggs just above the water level but still in the wet area. They are zoophilic in that they bite mostly of large mammals including humans. There is no report "An. petragnani" in transmission of human malaria, indicating that they are exclusively zoophilic.