[Anopheles mascarensis (De Meillon, 1947): main vector of malaria in the region of Fort-Dauphin (south-east of Madagascar)].

Anopheles funestus and Anopheles gambiae s.l. have been considered until now the major vectors of malaria everywhere in Madagascar. Anopheles mascarensis, a mosquito native to Madagascar, has been identified in Sainte-Marie island as a secondary vector only. In 1997, an entomological study was carried out to identify the malaria vectors in the area of Fort-Dauphin, South-East of Madagascar. Every month, mosquitoes were collected from landing catches on human volunteers (from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm inside dwellings and from 7:00 am to 0:00 pm outside) and from knockdown spray-collections indoors. An mascarensis was the most abundant mosquito, the average number of An. mascarensis bites per man/night was 7.6. The sporozoite index was 0.89%. Despite the presence of An. funestus and An. gambiae s.l., An. mascarensis was found to be responsible for 2/3 of the infectious bites (25 infectious bites per man/year). An. mascarensis is widely distributed ih Madagascar but only specimens from the east coast have been found to carry sporozoites of human malaria. Further arguments are thus advanced for the hypothesis according to which a sibling species of An. mascarensis is present in Madagascar.