A possible alternative method for collecting mosquito larvae in rice fields.
BACKGROUND
Rice fields are efficient breeding places for malaria vectors in Madagascar. In order to establish as easily as possible if a rice field is an effective larval site for anophelines, we compared classical dipping versus a net as methods of collecting larvae.


RESULTS
Using similar collecting procedures, we found that the total number of anopheline larvae collected with the net was exactly double (174/87) that collected by dipping. The number of anopheline species collected was also greater with a net.


CONCLUSIONS
The net is an effective means of collecting anopheline larvae and can be used for qualitative ecological studies and to rapidly determine which rice fields are containing malaria vectors.
Robert
Vincent
V
Groupe de Recherche sur le Paludisme, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar. robert@pasteur.mg
Le Goff
Gilbert
G
Ariey
Frédéric
F
Duchemin
Jean-Bernard
JB
D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D004463:Ecology; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology; D007814:Larva / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D009032:Mosquito Control; D012275:Oryza