Polymerase chain reaction used to describe larval habitat use by Anopheles gambiae complex (Diptera: Culicidae) in the environs of Ifakara, Tanzania.

Larvae of the Anopheles gambiae complex were collected in and around the town of Ifakara, southern Tanzania during the wet season of 1994 and identified to species by polymerase chain reaction. All but 1 surface pool contained mixed populations of An. gambiae and An. arabiensis larvae. The 2 species varied among locations rather than types of water. An. arabiensis predominated in pools close to cattle. The numbers of identified early instars of both species were similar, but more An. gambiae 4th instars were identified, perhaps indicating that An. gambiae were able to survive heavy rainfall better than A. arabiensis.