ADULT Anopheles quadrimaculatus  WRBU Home >> Medically Important Mosquitoes >> COMMAND AORs >> heartworm >> Anopheles quadrimaculatus

<< return to Dog Heartworm CLASSIFICATION: Say, Thomas. 1824. Appendix. Part I.- Natural history. 1. Zoology. E. Class Insecta. Pp. 356. In Keating, W. H., Narrative of an expedition to the source of the St. Peter's River. Vol. 2, 459 pp. Philadelphia. FAMILY: Culicidae SUBFAMILY: Anophelinae GENUS: Anopheles SUBGENUS: Anopheles IDENTIFYING CHARACTERS: Maxillary palpus of female as long as the antenna or proboscis. Postspiracular setae present Prespiracular setae present Scales on the dorsal surface of the radial sector and media narrow BIONOMICS: Larvae are found in permanent fresh water habitats which contain floating and/or emergent vegetation. Females readily bite man, domestic and wild animals, and are most active just after dusk. MEDICAL IMPORTANCE: This species is an excellent vector of human malaria. It is also considered a possible vector of dog heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis). NOTE: Recent DNA analysis of this species indicates at least four sibling species are present under this name. DISTRIBUTION:

The Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, Museum Support Center, MRC-534, Smithsonian Institution, 4210 Silver Hill Rd., Suitland, MD 20746-2863 USA Ph: 301-238-1077; FAX: 301-238-3168 Department of Entomology, Division of Communicable Diseases & Immunology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910-7500 USA