Blood meal identification and feeding habits of uranotaenia species collected in the ryukyu archipelago.

To know the blood meal in the stomach of Uranotaenia species, blood-fed mosquitoes were collected by 4 methods at different sites in the mountain forest of 3 islands, Amamioshima, Okinawajima, and Iriomotejima in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan from 2005 to 2012. One hundred twenty-four blood-fed Uranotaenia mosquitoes of 7 species (Ur. jacksoni, nivipleura, ohamai, yaeyamana, annandalei, lateralis, and macfarlanei) were collected. The collection rates are 0.26, 0.6, 0.31, and 0.66 by black light trap, black light blue with dry ice trap, frog call trap, and sweeping net, respectively. The blood meals of 107 females (86.3%) were successfully identified by a polymerase chain reaction-based method. All Uranotaenia species fed on cold-blooded animals, especially amphibians (99.1%), and notably on frogs. They would feed readily on available frogs in a given region having no close connection with the breeding (calling) season of each frog. They also fed on reptiles (0.9%), but not on warm-blooded animals.

Bionomics of the mud lobster-hole mosquito Aedes (Geoskusea) baisasi in the mangrove swamps of the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan.

The bionomics of the mud lobster-hole mosquito Aedes (Geoskusea) baisasi in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan, was studied in the field and in the laboratory. The studies included the natural habitat, seasonal appearance, flight activity, mating behavior, resistance of eggs to desiccation, and breeding periods of the immature stages of this species. The burrow systems made by the mud lobster Thalassina anomala were excellent as breeding and resting habitats for both the immature and adult stages of the mosquito.

New records of mosquito species for different islands of the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan.

During an 11-year study period (1999-2010) on the islands of the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan, 20 mosquito species were identified. The results revealed new records of species hitherto not reported on these islands. This contribution updates the mosquito fauna of the various islands of the Ryukyu Archipelago.

First record of avian Plasmodium DNA from mosquitoes collected in the Yaeyama Archipelago, southwestern border of Japan.

We studied the prevalence of avian Plasmodium in 509 mosquitoes of 9 species collected from the Ishigaki and Iriomote islands in the Yaeyama Archipelago, located southwest from the mainland of Japan. Two identical avian Plasmodium lineages were detected from Culex (Culiciomyia) nigropunctatus. Detected lineages were phylogenetically classified into different clade to avian Plasmodium lineages from birds and mosquitoes in the mainland of Japan but identical to a lineage detected from a resident bird, White-breasted Waterken (Amaurornis phoenicurus). This is the first detection of avian Plasmodium DNA from mosquitoes in the Yaeyama Archipelago and suggested that resident birds might have been infected with an avian Plasmodium lineage specific to the studied area and C. nigropunctatus could be the candidate vector mosquito species.

Colonization and biology of the frog-feeding mosquito Uranotaeinia macfarlanei in the Ryukyu Archipelago.

A colony of Uranotaenia macfarlanei, a frog-feeding mosquito, was established in the laboratory. We report the bionomics of the species, as studied in the laboratory colony and in the field on Ryukyu Island, Japan. These include mating activity, feeding and resting habits, manner of oviposition, and egg, larval, and pupal periods.

Susceptibility of the mosquitoes Anopheles minimus, An. sinensis, and An. saperoi (Diptera: Culicidae) from the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan, to the rodent malaria Plasmodium yoelii nigeriense.

The susceptibility of three anopheline mosquitoes, Anopheles minimus Theobald, An. sinensis Wiedemann, and An. saperoi Bohart & Ingram, from the Ryukyu Archipelago to the rodent malaria, Plasmodium yoelii nigeriense was examined to find new vectors other than An. stephensi Liston for rodent malaria studies in the laboratory. The survival rate of the mosquitoes after feeding on mice infected with P. y. nigeriense was also examined. The Beech strain of An. stephensi from India was compared with An. minimus from Ishigaki Island, and An. sinensis and An. saperoi from Okinawa Island. Oocysts were first found on day 3 after feeding on mice infected with P. y. nigeriense in An. stephensi, on day 4 in An. minimus and An. saperoi, and day 6 in An. sinensis. From 8 to 14 d after feeding on malaria-positive mice, oocysts were present in 97.2-100% of An. stephensi, 85.7-100% of An. saperoi, 20-74.1% of An. minimus, and 12.5-13.3% of An. sinensis. The duration of oocyst occurrence in An. saperoi was 55 d, the longest among the anopheline mosquitoes used in this study. On day 8 after feeding, sporozoites were found in the salivary glands and heads of all the mosquitoes tested. From the 10th to 16th d, sporozoites were present in the salivary glands of 14.9% (range, 9.1-28.0%) of An. minimus, 47.3% (40.7-58.1) of An. saperoi, and 96.2% (94.1-97.2) of An. stephensi, but were absent in An. sinensis. Anopheles saperoi could be an excellent vector of P. y. nigeriense because it has comparatively high susceptibility and high longevity even after feeding on infected mice.