Swarming behaviour in natural populations of Anopheles gambiae and An. coluzzii: Review of 4 years survey in rural areas of sympatry, Burkina Faso (West Africa)

• Published in: Acta tropica 2014-04, Vol.132, p.S42-S52
• Main Authors: Sawadogo, P.S., Namountougou, M., Toé, K.H., Rouamba, J., Maïga, H., Ouédraogo, K.R., Baldet, T., Gouagna, L.C., Kengne, P., Simard, F., Costantini, C., Gibson, G., Diabaté, A., Lees, R.S., Gilles, J.R.L., Dabiré, K.R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: An. coluzzii (M form); Animal biology; Animals; Anopheles - physiology; Anopheles gambiae (S form); Burkina Faso; Female; Invertebrate Zoology; Life Sciences; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Mating; Rural Population; Sexual Behavior, Animal; Swarms; Sympatry
• ISSN: 0001-706X; 1873-6254
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2013.12.011

Anopheles gambiae M and S swarming behaviour in areas of sympatry in Burkina Faso revealed segregation between the two species with the occurrence of few mixed swarms without any hybrids. •Anopheles gambiae M and S forms swarming and mating systems were investigated in Burkina Faso in areas of sympatry.•Few mixed swarms and mating pairs of the two species were collected.•Despite mixed swarms and mating pairs occurred, no mixed insemination was found in females. The swarming behaviour of natural populations of Anopheles gambiae and An. coluzzii (formerly known as An. gambiae S and M forms, respectively) were investigated through longitudinal surveys conducted between July 2006 and October 2009 in two rural areas of south-western Burkina Faso where these forms are sympatric. In both sites, the majority of swarms were recorded above visual markers localised among houses. In Soumousso, a wooded area of savannah, 108 pairs caught in copula from 205 swarms were sampled; in VK7, a rice growing area, 491 couples from 250 swarms were sampled. If segregated swarms were the norm in both sites, many visual markers were shared by the two forms of An. gambiae. Furthermore, mixed swarms were collected annually in frequencies varying from one site to another, though no mixed inseminations were recorded, corroborating the low hybrid rate previously reported in the field. The occurrence of inter-specific mate-recognition mechanisms, which allow individuals to avoid hybridisation, is discussed.