THE MOSQUITO FAUNA OF KUWAIT

Although Kuwait is considered to be a receptive area for mosquito born e-diseases, no indigenous cases of malaria or filariasis have yet occu rred in the country. To protect Kuwait from active transmission of the se diseases, country-wide entomological surveys have been carried out since 1975 by the Insect and Rodent Control Division, Ministry of Heal th, to detect mosquito species composition and their breeding sites to be followed up by control measures. Two anopheline species and eight culicine species of mosquitoes have been recorded in Kuwait. Since 198 1, Anopheles (Myzomyia) stephensi and A. (Myzomyia) pulcherrimus have been encountered in their breeding places, associated with Culex (Barr audius) pusillus, C. (Culex) univittatus and C. (C) theileri. Larvae o f C. (C) tritaeniorhynchus have been found in small numbers since 1987 . C. (C) pipiens complex (molestus and quinquefasciatus) is the prevai ling species, whereas Culiseta longiareolata ranks second. Aedes caspi us is the only species of the genus Aedes to be found in Kuwait. Keys for the larval and adult stages of these species are given.