Anopheles pseudopunctipennis
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Diptera
- Family: Culicidae
- Genus: Anopheles
- Species: Anopheles pseudopunctipennis
Visual Description
Anopheles pseudopunctipennis exhibits the characteristic morphology of the genus Anopheles, typically featuring a slender body and long, thin legs. In observed specimens, the wings often display distinct dark and light scaling patterns, which are diagnostic for the species. The thorax and abdomen are generally covered in fine scales, and the head bears long, slender palps.[1]
Ecology and Vector Status
Anopheles pseudopunctipennis is recognized as a significant malaria vector in the Andean valleys of South America, including Bolivia, where it is capable of transmitting Plasmodium vivax at altitudes reaching up to 2,800 meters.[2]
The species demonstrates opportunistic feeding behavior, showing a preference for a variety of hosts including sheep, goats, donkeys, and humans, while feeding less frequently on dogs, pigs, and chickens.[2] In the central Andes of Bolivia, the Human Blood Index (HBI) for this species is estimated to be between 30% and 50%.[2] Its opportunistic nature and relatively low anthropophily contribute to unstable P. vivax transmission in these regions.[2]
Gallery
References
- 1 2 Dataset view for Animalia / Arthropoda / Insecta / Diptera / Culicidae / Anopheles / pseudopunctipennis constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.
- 1 2 3 4 Frédéric Lardeux; Paola Loayza; Bernard Bouchité; Tamara Chávez. Host choice and human blood index of Anopheles pseudopunctipennis in a village of the Andean valleys of Bolivia. Malaria Journal. 2007. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-6-8.