Peri-/intradomicillary behavior in relation to host-seeking of Anopheles pseudopunctipennis in southern Mexico

Peri-/intradomicillary resting and host-seeking behavior of Anopheles pseudopunctipennis was studied in an experimental house (surrounded by a curtain-net) that had not been sprayed with insecticide. Peak mosquito densities were recorded resting on vegetation 1 h earlier (1900-2000 h) than on the curtain-net, suggesting that a proportion of females prefer resting on adjacent vegetation prior to moving indoors. Between 2000 and 2100 h there was a marked decrease in numbers of mosquitoes resting on the exterior of the curtain-net. In separate experiments without the net, a single peak in numbers of mosquitoes resting on interior surfaces and/or biting human bait occurred between 2000 and 2100 h. Unfed mosquitoes had higher numbers of contacts with wall surfaces than with the roof. Moreover, a higher proportion of mosquitoes collected on human bait had > or = 1 dilatation(s), and higher parity rates than those resting on walls. Higher proportions of parous mosquitoes more frequently fed from 1800 to 2100 h, whereas higher proportions of nulliparous mosquitoes fed during morning hours. Nearly 25% of all mosquitoes exited 1 h following their release inside the house, whereas nearly 7% remained indoors for > 9 h. Overall results demonstrated that the behavior of An. pseudopunctipennis females depends on outdoor/indoor stimuli, being multivariable in nature. This includes contacts with a variety of biological (i.e., vegetation, human) and inert surfaces, which in part appears to be controlled by age structure.