Development of a molecular assay to detect predation on Anopheles gambiae complex larval stages

We developed a molecular assay to detect predation on Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) mosquitoes. This intergenic spacer ribosomal DNA polymerase chain reaction assay and restriction enzyme analysis uses An. gambiae-specific primers to detect mosquito DNA in the DNA extracts from whole invertebrate predators, which enables identification of species (An. gambiae s.s. versus An. arabiensis) and molecular forms (M versus S in An. gambiae s.s.). We show that An. gambiae s.l. DNA can be detected after ingestion by members of the families Lestidae (order Odonata) after four hours, Libellulidae (order Odonata) after six hours, and Notonectidae (order Hemiptera) after 24 hours. This method is an improvement over previously published methods because of ease of execution and increased time of detection after ingestion.