Mitteilungen der deutschen Gesellschaft für allgemeine und angewandte Entomologie (2006) 15, 357-362

Anna Wilke, Ellen Kiel, Winfried Schröder and Helge Kampen (2006)
Anophelinae (Diptera: Culicidae) in ausgewählten Marschgebieten Niedersachsens: Bestandserfassung, Habitatbindung und Interpolation
Mitteilungen der deutschen Gesellschaft für allgemeine und angewandte Entomologie 15, 357-362
Abstract: The disappearance of malaria from Northern Germany in the middle of the 20th century was closely linked to a significant reduction of Anopheles breeding sites as a consequence of intense drainage of marshes, swamps and moors. Nature conservation activities and the reestablishment of swamps and wetland areas may nowadays lead to a converse effect and contribute to the multiplication and spread of culicid mosquitoes again. Therefore, the monitoring of their distribution and abundance is advisable. The presented investigation concentrates on typical Lower Saxony marshland ditches and on their suitability to provide breeding facilities for Culicidae in general, and for the former malaria vectors An. atroparvus and An. messeae in particular. The study area was fixed geographically with special reference to historical vector findings, former malaria regions and current archive data. To determine the habitat preferences of the mosquitoes, a structural mapping of single ditches was performed and essential abiotic factors were recorded. Anopheles specimens regularly were found in ditches with submerse and emerse macrophytes but never in ditches with a high degree of surface coverage by swimming plants. Conductivity, pHvalue and total phosphate in the water body appear to be further variables which correlate with the occurrence and abundance of Anopheles larvae and pupae and therefore can be used for predictions. By means of geographic information systems (GIS) and geostatistical procedures, a surface related assessment of the given Anopheles densities within the ditches should now be feasible. To this end, the multivariate correlations between the empirical data were analysed by Classification and Regression Trees. The relations detected serve to predict the empirical findings to biotopes similar to the sampling sites. Furthermore, recent climate predictions will be analysed with respect to possible effects climate change may have on the distribution of Anophilinae in Lower Saxony.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
(original language: German)

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
surveys/sampling/distribution
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Culex pipiens		Germany
	Culex territans		Germany
	Anopheles messeae		Germany
	Anopheles claviger		Germany
	Anopheles atroparvus		Germany