@article{fdi:010053447,
  title = {{W}hy are anopheline mosquitoes not present in the {S}eychelles ?},
  author = {{R}obert, {V}incent and {R}ocamora, {G}. and {J}ulienne, {S}. and {G}oodman, {S}. {M}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{B}ackground: {S}pecies of anopheline mosquitoes are largely distributed over emerged lands around the world and, within the tropics, few areas are without these insects, which are vectors of malaria parasites. {A}mong the exceptions is the {S}eychelles archipelago in the western {I}ndian {O}cean. {H}owever, in the {A}ldabra island group, located in the extreme western portion of the archipelago, {A}nopheles gambiae s.l. was introduced, leading to massive proliferation and then elimination, with the most recent autochthonous malaria cases recorded in 1931. {M}ethods: {I}n order to re-examine the absence of anopheline mosquitoes in the {S}eychelles, an entomological field survey was conducted in {D}ecember 2008 at 17 sites on four granitic islands, including {M}ahe and {P}raslin, and ten sites on coralline atolls in the extreme west, including {A}ldabra. {R}esults: {N}o evidence of larval or adult anophelines was found at the surveyed sites, which supports their absence in the {S}eychelles. {C}onclusions: {I}n the granitic islands of the {S}eychelles, the climate is favourable for anophelines. {H}owever, these islands are protected by their remoteness and prevailing seasonal winds. {I}n addition, stagnant freshwater, required in anopheline larval development, is relatively uncommon on the granitic islands because of the steep slopes. {I}n the southwestern atolls ({A}ldabra and {P}rovidence-{F}arquhar groups), the presence of a long dry season of up to nine months and the total absence of permanent natural freshwater prevents the breeding of anophelines and their successful colonization. {T}he {S}eychelles does not have any native land mammals and like in other parts of the world ({A}ntarctica, {I}celand, {N}ew {C}aledonia, {C}entral {P}acific islands) their absence is associated with the lack of anophelines. {T}his suggests an obligatory relationship for anophelines to feed on terrestrial mammals, without alternative for blood-feeding sources, such as bats, birds and reptiles.},
  keywords = {},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{M}alaria {J}ournal},
  volume = {10},
  numero = {},
  pages = {31},
  ISSN = {1475-2875},
  year = {2011},
  DOI = {10.1186/1475-2875-10-31},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010053447},
}