Anopheles perplexens from artificial containers and intermittently flooded swamps in northern Florida

Anopheles perplexens was collected from habitats previously unreported for this species in northern Florida. These habitats included intermittently flooded swamps, water-filled tires, and plastic oviposition cups. First-instar An. perplexens larvae were recovered from soil samples collected in an intermittently flooded swamp that were flooded in the laboratory, suggesting that An. perplexens eggs may survive in the soil during dry periods. Anopheles perplexens larvae were collected from water-filled tires and plastic oviposition cups at sites near Gainesville, FL. Of 30 dissected An. perplexens females collected in updraft CDC traps, all had ovarioles in Christophers's stage II and blood was absent in the midgut. The physiological state of these females indicates that updraft CDC traps collect predominately host-seeking females and that females take one blood meal per gonotrophic cycle.