Anopheles fuscicolor van Someren, 1947

Coetzee, Maureen, 2022, Literature review of the systematics, biology and role in malaria transmission of species in the Afrotropical Anopheles subgenus Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae), Zootaxa 5133 (2), pp. 182-200 : 187-188

Anopheles fuscicolor van Someren, 1947

TYPE LOCALITY: Fianarantsoa, Madagascar .

Anopheles fuscicolor soalalaensis Grjebine, 1966 was declared a nomen dubium by Brunhes et al. (1998) on the grounds that it was described from a single female ( Grjebine 1954) that is no longer in existence, and has never been recorded since.

DESCRIPTION:

Ochreous yellow to brown species.

Wing length: 5.0 mm.

Wing ( Fig. 4a ): Heavily scaled and prominently marked with dark and creamy white or yellow scales; apical pale fringe spot extending from R 2 almost to R 4+5; prominent pale fringe spot opposite CuA 2.

Maxillary palpus ( Fig. 4b ): Shaggy, mainly dark but small pale bands at apices of palpomeres 2–4.

Legs ( Fig. 4c ): All femora and tibiae ochreous yellow below, darker brown above. Hindtibia with apical pale spots about twice as long as broad. Tarsomeres 1–4 of all legs with apical pale bands, tarsomere 5 dark.

LARVAL HABITAT: Rice fields, swamps and ponds in association with An. coustani .

ADULT BIOLOGY: Females collected mainly outdoors but indoors at the type locality and elsewhere. Found feeding both indoors and outdoors on humans and bovines but not involved in malaria parasite transmission ( Grjebine 1966).

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Madagascar, widespread ( Grjebine 1966).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Anopheles fuscicolor: a, wing; b, palpomere; c, hindleg (a and c from de Meillon 1947; b from Grjebine 1966).