Malaria and the Anopheles mosquitoes of Tajikistan

Surveys of Anopheles mosquitoes were conducted in urban, rural, and natural areas of Tajikistan to obtain updated information on their distributions, especially in southern districts of the country where malaria is a prevalent disease. Nine species of Anopheles are found in Tajikistan. Anopheles superpictus, An. claviger, An. hyrcanus, and An. pulcherrimus are the most widespread and abundant species. Investigations in northern Tajikistan confirmed the presence of An. artemievi and the absence of An. martinius, both members of the An. maculipennis complex of malaria vectors. Anopheles barianensis, An. lindesayi, and An. marteri sogdianus, species previously recorded in the country, were not encountered during our surveys. The history of Anopheles and malaria research in Tajikistan is reviewed and bionomical and distributional information is provided for each of the nine species.