title: Feeding behavior of Mimomyia (Etorleptiomyia) luzonensis (Ludlow, 1905) (Diptera, Culicidae) in Peninsular Malaysia.
abstract: Mosquitoes are vectors of various human diseases in the tropics including yellow fever, dengue, malaria and West Nile virus. Mosquitoes can act as vectors between wildlife and humans, which is particularly important for diseases where wild animals serve as reservoirs of parasites in the absence of human infections. Research has mainly focused on the medical impacts of Anopheles, Aedes, Mansonia and Culex, however, very little attention has been directed towards other mosquito genera, especially those which act as vectors of diseases of wildlife. We have observed adults of Mimomyia (Etorleptiomyia) luzonensis (Ludlow, 1905) feeding on a toad, Ingerophrynus parvus, near an oil palm plantation settlement in Setia Alam, Selangor state, Peninsular Malaysia. Mimomyia is known to feed on reptiles and amphibians, and is a documented vector of several arboviruses, including West Nile virus. The observation of Mimomyia feeding on a common toad near a human settlement highlights a need to understand the relationships between mosquitoes, toads and humans from an ecological perspective. We report on-site observations of the feeding habit of Mimomyia; the first records from Malaysia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Kamil A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Braima
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muslimin
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Centre for Research and Consultancy, Unitar International University, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Amir-Ridhwan
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: M Ghazali
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wan-Nor
authors.affiliation: International College Beijing, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, PR China.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jeffery
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: noisha@ummc.edu.my.
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Abdul-Aziz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002025:Bufonidae; D009033:Culicidae / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia
keywords: Amphibian; Arbovirus; Ingerophrynus parvus; Mimomyia (Etorleptiomyia) luzonensis; Mosquito; Nocturnal; Peninsular Malaysia; Toad