Anopheles culicifacies [′ə′ nɒfɨliːz′ kyü-lə cifā-sh(ē-)ēz]
In 1901, George Michael James Giles, a lieutenant-colonel and physician in the Indian Medical Service, described Anopheles culicifacies, which he collected from his guest house in Hoshangabad, India (Figure 1). This mosquito mimicked Culex spp. in facial appearance and resting posture (body angled to the surface they are resting on), prompting Giles to name it Anopheles culicifacies because of its culex (culici)‒like appearance (facies) (Figure 2).
Figure 1.
Anopheles culicifacies mosquito. Photograph courtesy Gaurav Kumar.
Figure 2.
Wing morphology of Anopheles culicifacies mosquito showing the dark third vein (arrow). The length of the wing on the right is 2.5 mm. Photograph courtesy Gaurav Kumar.
An. culicifacies is the principle vector of malaria in India, contributing to >60% of malaria cases in this country annually. Therefore, ≈80% of the budget for malaria control in India is spent on control of this mosquito. Adults can be identified based on characteristic wing morphology (dark third vein) and palpi ornamentation (apical pale band is nearly equal to the pre-apical dark band).
Acknowledgment
I thank the Director of the National Institute of Malaria Research, Delhi, India, for providing encouragement to write this etymologia.
Footnotes
Suggested citation for this article: Kumar G. Etymologia: Anopheles culicifacies. Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 Aug [date cited]. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2808.211875
Sources
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