Aspects of the ecology of mosquitoes in Surinam

For about two years (1967—1968) investigations were conducted on the ecology of mosquitoes in relation to the transmission of arboviruses in Surinam (DE KRUIJF 1970). Part of this study dealing with the daily activity of biting mosquitoes is presented here. Daily activity of biting anopheline females has been widely studied because of their ability to transmit malaria (MATTINGLY 1949, SENIOR-WHITE 1953, GILLIES 1957, SLOOFF 1964, and many others). Intensive studies on culicine mosquitoes transmitting arboviruses and other pathogen agents have been carried out in Africa and elsewhere (among many others HADDOW 1945, 1954, 1956, 1961a and b, 1961, MCCLELLAND 1960, BOORMAN 1961, SAMARAWICKRAMA 1967, TAYLOR & JONES 1969). Data on the diel activity of culicine mosquitoes in South America are relatively scarce; species transmitting jungle yellow fever, Haemagogus species and Sabethes chloropherus,' having been studied most completely (KUMM & NOVIS 1938, BATES 1944, 1949, CAUSEY & SANTOS 1949, GALINDO et al. 1951, TRAPIDO & GALINDO 1957, GALINDO 1957, FORATTINI 1966b). AITKEN et al. (1968) have published some data on other species whereas FORATTINI (1962, 1966a and b) reviewed the scattered data on the daily activity of biting mosquitoes belonging to as many species as possible. It appeared that in the northern region of South America knowledge on the subject is very scarce.