Vol. 8, Issue 1, Part B (2021)

Author(s): Manoj K Patnaik, Dilip K Panigrahi, S Thankachy, S Dash, Sudhansu S Sahu and A Kumar

Abstract: Koraput district of Odisha State; hyper endemic for falciparum malaria, is rich in diverse Anopheline fauna. Morphological variations in different anophelines were reported during 1990 in this area. To understand the role of different anophelines in transmitting malaria parasites, proper identification of anopheline vectors and the possible variations in their morphology is necessary. For this study Anopheles mosquitoes were collected from random villages of Koraput district from January 2019 to December 2019 and were observed for morphological variations in different malaria vectors and non-vector species from the type form. Variations were recorded in 66 anophelines belonging to seven species including two primary vectors (Anopheles culicifacies and An. fluviatilis). Thirteen types of morphological variations have been observed; nine variations in palpi, three in wings and one in hind tarsi. These morphological variations observed in different Anopheles species could be helpful for proper species identification, where alternative molecular identification of species is not possible.