Species Diversity and Distribution Pattern of Anopheline Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Qaleh Ganj County, Southeast of Iran

Malaria is the most important mosquito-borne disease in Iran in recent decades. This disease is endemic in the south to the southeastern Iran. Knowledge about larval habitats, species diversity, and distribution pattern of malaria vectors will help authorities in the appropriate management of this disease. Qaleh Ganj county is one of the main endemic areas for malaria in the south of Iran. Little information is available about the fauna of mosquitoes and their characteristics in this area. This study aims to assess the fauna, larval habitats, species diversity, and distribution pattern of Anophelinae mosquitoes using the Geographic Information System (GIS) in Qaleh Ganj County, the southeast of Iran. The potential aquatic habitats for Anopheles larvae were selected based on the variety of topography and history of the malaria epidemic. The mosquito larvae were collected using dipping method from April to December 2018. Finally, the diversity, richness, and evenness indices were calculated. A total of 1042 larvae were found. The dominant species was Anopheles culicifacies s.l. Giles, 1901. The Shannon diversity index ranged from 0.76–1.54 between different collection sites, while the other indices showed the highest and lowest diversity, evenness, and richness of species in each area. Due to the fact that some of the species in this region are species complexes, molecular studies are needed to find better information about the genetic diversity of these species which can be helpful for the malaria elimination program in Iran.