title: Implicating Cryptic and Novel Anophelines as Malaria Vectors in Africa.
abstract: Entomological indices and bionomic descriptions of malaria vectors are essential to accurately describe and understand malaria transmission and for the design and evaluation of appropriate control interventions. In order to correctly assign spatio-temporal distributions, behaviors and responses to interventions to particular anopheline species, identification of mosquitoes must be accurately made. This paper reviews the current methods and their limitations in correctly identifying anopheline mosquitoes in sub-Saharan Africa, and highlights the importance of molecular methods to discriminate cryptic species and identify lesser known anophelines. The increasing number of reports ofPlasmodiuminfections in assumed "minor", non-vector, and cryptic and novel species is reviewed. Their importance in terms of evading current control and elimination strategies and therefore maintaining malaria transmission is emphasized.
authors.affiliation: W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. jennyc.stevenson@macharesearch.org.|Macha Research Trust, Choma P.O. Box 630166, Southern Province, Zambia. jennyc.stevenson@macharesearch.org.
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. douglas.norris@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Douglas E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Norris
keywords: cryptic species; identifications; incrimination; malaria; mosquitoes; novel vectors; secondary vectors