Further observations on the vertical distribution of flying mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in West African savanna

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Abstract
The vertical distribution of flying mosquitoes was investigated in separate experiments in open savanna and over a fallow field system near Keneba Village in the tidal zone of the Gambia using suction traps located at seven levels (0·1, 0·25, 0·5, 1·0, 2·1, 3·9 and 7·9 m) on a scaffolding tower. Mosquito density declined progressively with height forAnopheles melasTheo.,An. pharoensisTheo.,An. squamosusTheo.,An. ziemanniGrünb.,Aedes dalzieli(Theo.),Ae. punctothoracis(Theo.),Culex tritaeniorhynchusGiles andMansoniaspp. Catches ofC. thalassiusTheo. andC. invidiosusTheo. increased with height to around 1 m and then decreased steadily although the 7·9–m trap consistently captured moreC. thalassiusthan the trap below, presenting a bimodal vertical distribution profile. Flight altitudes of the two most abundant species,An. melasandC. thalassius, declined as the night progressed, but wind speed and lunar phase had no clear or consistent effects on flight levels. A functional relationship between flight altitudes and dispersal patterns of mosquitoes is suggested.

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