Anopheles darlingi is a major malaria vector in the Americas. Its broad geographical distribution, ranging from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, is coupled with a high morphological, behavioral and genetic diversity. Support for considerable genetic variation within this taxon comes from the analysis of polytene chromosomes, isozymes, as well as nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers.
The duration of the gonotrophic cycle and survivorship of Anopheles vestitipennis Dyar & Knab was estimated in 2 malarious areas of Chiapas, Mexico: the Lacandon Forest and the Pacific Ocean Coastal Plain. Blood-engorged females held in an outdoor cage required 2.75 d for egg maturation, and 3.75 d for the duration of the gonotrophic cycle.
Larvae were taken in deep or sometimes partial shade in the following types of water: stream pool with clear water, in grass along a clear slow-moving stream with abundant vegetation, along a swamp margin, and in deep water of a large swamp. Adult females bite man and domestic animals and have been collected in Shannon traps, stable traps, horse traps, in corrals, and from human bait. (Wilkerson 1990:235)