The succession of mosquito species (Diptera, Culicidae) in rice fields in the Kisumu area of Kenya, and their possible control

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Abstract
Thirty-five species of mosquitoes (10 782 adults) were caught in modified CDC light-traps during the 27-week rice cultivation cycle at Ahero, Kenya, in the period September 1972 to March 1973. Only 0·8% were blood-fed and 5·1% gravid, indicating that the traps were sampling newly emerged adults. During weeks 1–7, before rice seedlings were transplanted, catches were small, but increased markedly from then until harvest (week 20). Two groups of mosquito species were recognised: the first, including Mansonia uniformis (Theo.), M. africana (Theo.) and Mimomyia splendens Theo., bred throughout the rice cycle; the second, including Anopheles gambiae s.l., A. pharoensis Theo., A. ziemanni Grünb., Culex poicilipes (Theo.) and C. antennatus (Becker), were affected by water depth and height of the rice crop. The slurry of shallow muddy pools which follows transplanting stimulated intense breeding of A. gambiae and A. pharoensis. Once the young plants were established, reflooding of the fields and subsequent growth of water plants and algae favoured the breeding of A. ziemanni and C. poicilipes. Towards the end of the rice cycle large numbers of C. antennatus were caught. It is concluded that mosquito control by means of insecticides or by irrigation management would be possible.

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