Larval salinity tolerances of the sibling species of Anopheles farauti.

Experiments conducted with laboratory colonies of the sibling species of Anopheles farauti showed larvae of An. farauti No. 1 had a higher salinity tolerance than larvae of An. farauti No. 2 and An. farauti No. 3. The salinity response of field-collected larvae of An. farauti No. 1 from Cowley Beach, Queensland, Australia was similar to that of larvae from two colonies of this species which originated from Papua New Guinea. These results indicate that An. farauti No. 1 is the species which is likely to be found breeding in brackish water whereas the other species may be restricted to freshwater habitats. Laboratory experiments conducted with the colonies and with specimens collected from three localities in northern Queensland indicated that a simple test, based on exposure of first-instar larvae to sea water for 1 hr, should enable identification of An. farauti No. 1 in the field.