A survey of anopheline mosquitoes and malarial parasite in commuters in a rural and an urban area in West Bengal, India.

Malaria and other mosquito borne diseases are common in Kolkata, India. Among the 34 species of mosquitoes recorded from Kolkata, 13 are anophelines, of that Anopheles annularis Van der Wulp, An. culicifacies Giles, and An. stephensi Liston are established vectors of malaria1–3. The abundance of these vector mosquitoes varies with the season and available habitats2–4. Mobility of human hosts between different regions influence the transmission process too5,6. In this regard, assessment of the density and diversity of anopheline mosquitoes in space and time can help to monitor the possibility of malaria in a region apart from formulating the controlling strategies.