Fauna and distribution of Anopheleline mosquitoes in Sirik county, Hormozgan province, 2014

Malaria is a major mosquito-borne disease in tropical and sub-tropical countries. It is one the most important health problem in south and southeast of Iran, especially in eastern parts of Hormozgan Province. Sirik County is one of the important malaria endemic areas in southeast of Iran. Considering the importance of anopheline mosquitoes in malaria transmission and vectors control strategy for prevention and control of disease, this study was conducted to determine the fauna and distribution of anopheleline mosquitoes in Sirik County. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014. The anopheline larvae were collected using the standard dipping method. Specimens were preserved in test-tubes containing lacto-phenol and transferred to the laboratory. In the laboratory, each of third and fourth instar anopheline larvae were individually mounted on a microscope slide and identified to species by morphological criteria and using identification keys. In this study, in total 532 anopheline mosquitoes were collected and identified. They comprised of six species: Anopheles dthali (29.32%), Anopheles stephensi (23.31%), Anopheles moghulensis (22.55 %), Anopheles superpictus (10.53%), Anopheles culicifacies (9.96%), and Anopheles turkhudi (4.33%). In this study An. dthali as the main malaria vector was the most abundant species and collected from all of the study areas. Moreover, An. moghulensis was predominant species in mountainous areas. This study showed a high anopheline species richness in Sirik so that four out of eight anopheline species which are known to be malaria vectors in Iran collected from this county and reduction of mosquito density can have a great impact on successful malaria elimination program in this county.