title: Behaviour and molecular identification of Anopheles malaria vectors in Jayapura district, Papua province, Indonesia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Members of the Anopheles punctulatus group dominate Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG), with a geographic range that extends south through Vanuatu. An. farauti and An. punctulatus are the presumed major vectors in this region. Although this group of species has been extensively studied in PNG and the southern archipelagoes within their range, their distribution, ecology and vector behaviours have not been well characterized in eastern Indonesia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mosquitoes were collected in five villages in Jayapura province, Papua, Indonesia using human-landing collections, animal-baited tents and backpack aspirators. Mosquitoes were morphologically typed and then molecularly distinguished based on ribosomal ITS2 sequences and tested for Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax infection using circumsporozoite ELISA and PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The presence and vector status of An. farauti 4 in Papua, Indonesia is confirmed here for the first time. The data indicate that this species is entering houses at a rate that increases its potential to come into contact with humans and act as a major malaria vector. An. farauti 4 was also abundant outdoors and biting humans during early evening hours. Other species collected in this area include An. farauti 1, An. hinesorum, An. koliensis, An. punctulatus, and An. tessellatus. Proboscis morphology was highly variable within each species, lending support to the notion that this characteristic is not a reliable indicator to distinguish species within the An. punctulatus group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The vector composition in Papua, Indonesia is consistent with certain northern areas of PNG, but the behaviours of anophelines sampled in this region, such as early and indoor human biting of An. farauti 4, may enable them to act as major vectors of malaria. Presumed major vectors An. farauti and An. punctulatus were not abundant among these samples. Morphological identification of anophelines in this sample was often inaccurate, highlighting the importance of using molecular analysis in conjunction with morphological investigations to update keys and training tools.
authors.affiliation: Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA. brandyce.stlaurent@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Brandy
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2957-5364
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: St Laurent
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health, Jakarta, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Sukowati
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Supratman
authors.affiliation: Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Puji Budi Setia
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Asih
authors.affiliation: Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bretz
authors.affiliation: Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Helen Catherine
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: University of Halueleo, Kendari, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Amirullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baharuddin
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health, Jakarta, Indonesia.
authors.lastname: Shinta
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Makasaar, 90245, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Asik
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Surya
authors.affiliation: Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ngai
authors.affiliation: National Malaria Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Jakarta, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Ferdinand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Laihad
authors.affiliation: Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia.|Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Makasaar, 90245, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Din
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Syafruddin
authors.affiliation: UNICEF, Jakarta, Indonesia.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Hawley
authors.affiliation: Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Frank H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Neil F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Lobo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D007214:Indonesia; D007303:Insect Vectors; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer
keywords: Anopheles; Indonesia; Malaria; Molecular tools; Vector ecology