ANOPHELINE (DIPTERA, CULICIDAE) BREEDING IN A TRADITIONAL TANK-BASED VILLAGE ECOSYSTEM IN NORTH CENTRAL SRI-LANKA

A 13-mo survey of immature anopheline mosquitoes breeding in surface w ater habitats was done at Mahameegaswewa village within the Huruluwewa watershed in north central Sri Lanka as part of a multidisciplinary s tudy on malaria epidemiology. The watershed is representative of the a ncient small tank-based irrigation network that still forms an importa nt component of the rice production system in the low elevation dry zo ne. Tn total, 3,818 immatures representing 12 species were obtained fr om 3,940 samples taken from 5 larval habitats within the village ecosy stem, Anopheles varuna Iyengar and An. culicifacies Giles were the mos t abundant species collected. Peak abundance in both species occurred in August-October. Anopheles barbirostris Van der Wulp and An, peditae niatus Leicester also were abundant, but neither these nor the other a nophelines attained comparable abundance to An, varuna and An. culicif acies. A clear progression in breeding habitat use from stream bed to tank bed and drainage area pools was seen in An. culicifacies during t he premonsoon period. Environmental management measures to reduce or m odify these habitats could potentially decrease malaria transmission.