The mosquitoes (Diptera: Culidae) of Seychelles: taxonomy, ecology, vectorial importance, and identification keys

Particle and Fibre Toxicology

Vincent Robert¹  Gérard Rocamora²  Nil Rahola¹  Cécile Brengues¹  Simon Julienne³  Philippe Boussès¹  Gilbert Le Goff¹ 

[1] MIVEGEC Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs : écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle (UMR IRD 224, CNRS 5290, UM1, UM2), Centre IRD France-Sud, BP 64501, Montpellier cedex 5, 34394, France;Island Conservation Society, PO Box 775, Pointe Larue, Mahé, Seychelles;Ministry of Health, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles

关键词: Island;    Biogeography;    Biodiversity;    Identification key;    Alphataxonomy;    Culicinae;    Mosquito;    The Seychelles;   

Others  :  1229990
DOI  :  10.1186/1756-3305-5-207

 received in 2012-05-11, accepted in 2012-09-10,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

During recent periods, the islands of the Republic of Seychelles experienced many diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Bancroft’s filaria and malaria. Mosquitoes transmit the agents that cause these diseases. Published information on mosquitoes in the Seychelles is notably dispersed in the literature. The maximum number of species obtained on a single field survey does not exceed 14 species.

Methods

We performed a comprehensive bibliographic review using mosquito and Seychelles as the key words, as well as conducted a mosquito field survey for larval and adult stages during the rainy season in December 2008. Sixteen sites were sampled on four granitic islands (Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and Aride) and six sites on coralline atolls in the extreme southwest of the country (Aldabra group).

Results

We found published references to 21 mosquito species identified at least on one occasion in the Seychelles. Our collections comprised 18 species of mosquitoes, all of them from the subfamily Culicinae; no Anophelinae was found. We also confirm that Aedes seychellensis is a junior synonym of Ae. (Aedimorphus) albocephalus. The first records for Culex antennatus and Cx. sunyaniensis are presented from the country, specifically from Aldabra and Praslin, respectively. Based on a comparison of the taxa occurring on the granitic versus coralline islands, only three species, Ae. albocephalus, Cx. scottii and Cx. simpsoni are shared. Aedes albopictus appeared to exclude largely Ae. aegypti on the granitic islands; however, Ae. aegypti was common on Aldabra, where Ae. albopictus has not been recorded. The notable aggressiveness of mosquitoes towards humans on coralline islands was mainly due to two species, the females of which are difficult to distinguish: Ae. fryeri and Ae. (Aedimorphus) sp. A. The number of mosquito species collected at least once in the Seychelles is now 22, among which five species (Ae. (Adm) sp. A, Cx. stellatus, Uranotaenia browni. Ur. nepenthes and Ur. pandani) and one subspecies (Ae. vigilax vansomerenae) are considered as endemic. Two illustrated identification keys, one for adult females and the other for larval stages, are presented.

Conclusions

The knowledge of the culicidian fauna in the Seychelles has been notably updated. The number of mosquito species is relatively large with regards to land surface and distances to continental Africa, although the anophelines are totally lacking. The complex natural history of mosquitoes in the Seychelles provides examples of both vicariance- and dispersal-mediated divergences. They present superb examples for theoretical and applied island biology.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Le Goff et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Robert V, Rocamora G, Julienne S, Goodman SM: Why are anopheline mosquitoes not present in the Seychelles? Malaria J 2011, 10:31. BioMed Central Full Text
• [2]Gerlach J: The Diptera of the Seychelles islands. 86th edition. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia; 2009:431. [Pensoft Series Faunistica]
• [3]Thomson J, Walton A: Redetermination of the chronology of Aldabra atoll by Th/U dating. Nature 1972, 240:145-146.
• [4]Taylor JD, Braithwaite CJR, Peake JF, Arnold EN: Terrestrial faunas and habitats of Aldabra during the late Pleistocene. Phil Trans Roy Soc London. Ser B, Biol Sc 1979, 286:47-66.
• [5]Siddall M, Rohling EJ, Almogi-Labin A, Hemleben C, Meischner D, Schmelzer I, Smeed DA: Sea-level fluctuations during the last glacial cycle. Nature 2003, 423:853-858.
• [6]Metselaar D, Grainger CR, Oei KC, Reynolds DG, Pudney M, Leake CJ, Tukei PM, D’Offay RM, Simpson DIH: An outbreak of type 2 dengue fever in the Seychelles probably transmitted by Aedes albopictus (Skuse). Bull Wrld Hlth Org 1980, 58:937-943.
• [7]Zeller HG: Dengue, arbovirus et migrations dans l’Océan indien. Bull Soc Path Exot 1998, 91:56-60.
• [8]Yersin C, Bovet P, Herminie P, Zeller H: Public health importance of mosquito-borne disease in the Seychelles (Indian ocean). The infectious Disease Review 1999, 1(3):189-199.
• [9]Calisher CH, Nuti M, Lazuick JS, Ferrari JDM, Kappus KD: Dengue in the Seychelles. Bull Wrld Hlth Org 1981, 59:619-622.
• [10]Taglioni F: Virus-sans-frontières: le chikungunya dans le sud-ouest de l’océan Indien. In Frontières et santé. Genèses et maillages des réseaux transfrontaliers. Edited by Moullé F. L’Harmattan, Paris; 2009:257-275.
• [11]Holman J: A voyage round the world, including travels in Africa, Asia, Australia, America, etc. etc. from 1827 to 1832. Vol.3. Smith, Elder and Co, London; 1835:473.
• [12]Ward S: Accounts and papers [of the House of Commons], Colonies and British possessions, vol. 48, Session 19. London; November 1867 – 31 July 1868:54-58.
• [13]Lambrecht FL: Filariasis in the Seychelles islands and in the British Indian ocean territories. World Health Organization, Geneva; 1973:10. WHO/FIL/WP/73.3
• [14]Frölich W: Special field reports, October 1967 and May 1968. In Unpublished WHO documents. Project Seychelles, Victoria; 1968. 0010
• [15]Lambrecht FL: Notes on the ecology of Seychelles mosquitoes. Bull Entomol Res 1971, 60:513-532.
• [16]Nuti M, Ferrari JDM, Au ACS: Seroepidemiology of bancroftian filariasis in the Seychelles islands. Tropenmed Parasitol 1982, 33:25-27.
• [17]Hermitte LCD: Occurrence of Anopheles gambiae (costalis) in Aldabra islands (Seychelles). Records of the Malaria Survey of India 1931, 2:643-654.
• [18]Mathew KC, Bradley JT: Research work on an outbreak of malaria at Assumption and Aldabra islands in 1930. Government Printing Office, Victoria, Mahé-Seychelles; 1932:14.
• [19]Bruce-Chwatt LJ: Malaria threat to the Seychelles. Brit Med J 1976, 2:754-755.
• [20]Zahar AR: Vector bionomics in the epidemiology and control of malaria. Part I, The WHO African region & the Southern WHO Eastern Mediterranean region. Section III, Vector bionomics, malaria epidemiology and control by geographical areas. (E), Eastern outer islands; 1985:244. WHO/VBC 85.3/MAP 85.3
• [21]Bin F, Laporte T, Julienne S: Mosquito larval density survey on Mahé in 1995. Seychelles Med Dent J 1996, 4:21-23.
• [22]Theobald FV: Reports of the Percy Sladen Trust Expedition to the Indian Ocean in 1905. No. V.- Diptera, Culicidae. Trans Linn Soc Lond 1912, 15:81-94. 1 pl
• [23]Edwards FW: Mosquitoes of the Ethiopian region. III, Culicine adults and pupae. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.);, London; 1941.
• [24]Harper JO: A mosquito survey of Mahé, Seychelles. East Afr Med J 1947, 24:25-29.
• [25]Mattingly PF, Brown ES: The mosquitos (Diptera: Culicidae) of the Seychelles. Bull Entomol Res 1955, 46:69-110.
• [26]Van Someren ECC: On the Status of Aedes (Ochlerotatus) fryeri (Theobald) and Aedes (Ochlerotatus) mombasaensis Mattingly. Mosq Syst 1972, 4(9):90.
• [27]Gerberg EJ, Arnett RH: A pictorial key to the mosquito larvae of the Seychelles. Mosq Syst 1976, 8:343-346.
• [28]da Costa-da-Silva AL, Capurro ML, Bracco JE: Genetic lineages in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) from Peru. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2005, 100:539-544.
• [29]Porter C, Collins FH: Species-diagnostic differences in a ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer from the sibling species Anopheles freeborni and Anopheles hermsi (Diptera: Culcidae). Am J Trop Med Hyg 1991, 45:271-279.
• [30]Hall TA: BioEdit: a user-friendly biological sequence alignment editor and analysis program for Windows 95/98/NT. Nucl Acids Symp Ser 1999, 41:95-98.
• [31]Clements AN: The traditional and revised classification of aedine mosquitoes. In The biology of mosquitoes. Volume 3, transmission of viruses and interactions with bacteria. CABI Publishing, Wallingford; 2012:ix-xvii.
• [32]Theobald FV: A monograp of the Culicidae or mosquitoes. Vol.5. British Museum, London; 1910:646. illus., 6 pls
• [33]Theobald FV: A monograph of the Culicidae or mosquitoes. Vol. 3. British Museum, London; 1903:359. 17 pls
• [34]Bin F: New mosquitoes in Seychelles. Seychelles Med Dent J 1995, 1:6-7.
• [35]Van Someren ECC: The description of a new mosquito from the Seychelles. East Afr Med J 1947, 24:29-35.
• [36]McIntosh BM: A taxonomic revision of certain Aedes species (Diptera: Culicidae) of the subgenus Aedimorphus in southern Africa. J ent Soc sth Afr 1975, 38:251-287.
• [37]Reinert JF, Harbach RE, Kitching IJ: Phylogeny and classification of Aedini (Diptera: Culicidae), based on morphological characters of all life stages. Zool. J. Linnean Soc 2004, 142:289-368.
• [38]Hopkins GHE: Mosquitoes of the Ethiopian region. Part I. Larval bionomics of mosquitoes and taxonomy of culicine larvae. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), London; 1936.
• [39]Van Someren ECC: The description of Aedes mosquito of the subgenus Skusea from the Seychelles. J Entomol Ser B Taxon Syst 1971, 40:21-25.
• [40]Mattingly PF: The sub-genus Stegomyia (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Ethiopian region. (Part II). Bull Brit Mus (nat Hist), Ent 1953, 3:1-65.
• [41]Huang YM, Mathis WN, Wilkerson RC: Coetzeemyia, a new subgenus of Aedes, and a redescription of the holotype female of Aedes (Coetzeemyia) fryeri (Theobald) (Diptera: Culicidae). Zootaxa 2010, 2638:1-24.
• [42]Brunhes J: Les insectes hématophages de l’Archipel des Comores (Diptera Culicidae, Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, Tabanidae, Hippoboscidae et Muscidae Stomoxinae; Hemiptera Cimicidae), maladies transmises et méthodes de lutte. Mémoires du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Nouvelle série, Série A, Zoologie 1978, 109:193-246.
• [43]Girod R: First record ofAedes albopictusin Mayotte island. Comoros archipelago. Parasite 2004, 11:74.
• [44]Bagny L, Delatte H, Quilici S, Fontenille D: Progressive decrease in Aedes aegypti distribution in Reunion island since the 1900s. J Med Entomol 2009, 46:1541-1545.
• [45]Lowe S, Browne M, Boudjelas S, De Poorter M: 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species, a selection from the global invasive species database. Published by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) a specialist group of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Gland; 2000:12. http://www.issg.org/ webcite Accessed on 15.03.2012
• [46]Rocamora G, Henriette E: Invasive alien species in Seychelles. Identification guide and management of priority species. Government of Seychelles & UNDP, Victoria; 2012. in press
• [47]Henriette E, Julienne S: Impact of climate change on the health sector. Enabling activities for the preparation of the Seychelles second national communication to the United Nations framework convention on climate change. UNEP-GEF, New-York; 2009:37.
• [48]Chan KL, Chan YC, Ho BC: Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in Singapore city. 4. Competition between species. Bull Wld Hlth Org 1971, 44:643-649.
• [49]Braks MAH, Honório NA, Lounibos LP, Lourenço-De-Oliveira R, Juliano SA: Interspecific competition between two invasive species of container mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae), in Brazil. Ann Entomol Soc Amer 2004, 97:130-139.
• [50]Simard F, Nchoutpouen E, Toto JC, Fontenille D: Geographic distribution and breeding site preference of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Cameroon, central Africa. J Med Entomol 2005, 42:726-731.
• [51]Brunhes J: Les moustiques de l’archipel des Comores. II.- Description de quatre espèces nouvelles ou peu connues. Répartition du sous-genre Skusea dans l’Océan indien occidental. Affinités de la faune culicidienne des Comores. Cah ORSTOM Sér Ent méd Parasitol 1977, 15:53-170.
• [52]Brunhes J: La filariose de Bancroft dans la sous-région malgache (Comores - Madagascar - Réunion). Mémoires ORSTOM 1975, 81:212.
• [53]Subra R: Urbanisation et filariose de Bancroft en Afrique et à Madagascar. Cah ORSTOM sér Ent Méd Parasitol 1975, 13:193-203.
• [54]Fontenille D, Mathiot CC: Résultats de l'année 1983 des investigations sur les vecteurs d'arbovirus à Madagascar. Arch Inst Pasteur Madagascar 1984, 51(1):101-115.
• [55]Worth CB, de Meillon B: Culicinae mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) recorded from the province of Mocambique (Portuguese east Africa) and their relationship to arthropod-borne viruses. Anais Inst Med Trop 1960, 17:231-256.
• [56]Van Someren ECC: Ethiopian Culicidae: description of two east African Culicinae larvae, not hitherto described, and a new subspecies from Abyssinia (Diptera). Proc R ent Soc Lond (B) 1945, 14:77-80.
• [57]da Cunha Ramos H, Brunhes J: Insecta Diptera Culicidae Uranotaenia. Faune de Madagascar 2004, 91:461.
• [58]Cogan BH, Hutson AM, Shaffer JC: Preliminary observations on the affinities and composition of the insect fauna of Aldabra. Phil Trans Roy Soc Lond. B 1971, 260:315-325.
• [59]Julvez J, Mouchet J: Le peuplement culicidien des îles du sud-ouest de l’Océan indien. L’action de l’homme dans l’importation des espèces d’intérêt médical. Ann Soc Entomol France (NS) 1994, 30:391-401.
• [60]MacArthur RH, Wilson EO: The theory of island biogeography. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.; 1967.
• [61]Blondel J: Biogéographie évolutive. Collection d'écologie 20. Masson Ed, Paris; 1986:221.
• [62]Gratz NG: Critical review of the vector status of Aedes albopictus. Med Vet Entomol 2004, 18:215-227.
• [63]Ponlawat A, Harrington LC: Blood feeding patterns of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Thailand. J Med Entomol 2005, 42:844-849.
• [64]Bagny Beilhe L, Arnoux S, Delatte H, Lajoie J, Fontenille D: Spread of invasive Aedes albopictus and decline of resident Aedes aegypti in urban areas of Mayotte 2007–2010. Biol Invasions 2012, 14:1623-1633.
• [65]Girod R, Le Goff G: Inventaire actualisé des moustiques (Diptera: Culicidae) des îlots français de Europa, Juan-de-Nova et Grande-Glorieuse (Canal du Mozambique, océan Indien). Bull Soc Pathol Exot 2006, 99:122-128.
• [66]Lowery RS: Blood parasites of vertebrates on Aldabra. Phil Trans R Soc London B 1971, 206:577-580.
• [67]Hart MG, Samour HJ, Spratt DMJ, Savage B: An analysis of haematological findings on a feral population of Aldabra giant tortoises (Geochelone gigantea). Comparative Haematology Int 1991, 1:145-149.
• [68]Cook CA, Smit NJ, Davies AJ: Hemoproteids (Apicomplexa: Haemoproteidae) from south African tortoises (Cryptodira: Testudinidae). J Parasitology 2010, 96:1168-1172.