ANOPHELES (A.) ALGERIENSIS THEOBALD, 1903 DISTRIBUTED IN NORTHWESTERN UZBEKISTAN

43 ANOPHELES (A.) ALGERIENSIS THEOBALD, 1903 DISTRIBUTED IN NORTHWESTERN UZBEKISTAN Badalova M.F. Urgench state university Abdullaev I.I. Khorezm Academy of Mamun DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17744823 Abstract: This article presents information about the species Anopheles (Anopheles) algeriensis, a representative of the family of blood-sucking or true mosquitoes (Culicidae) from northwestern Uzbekistan, including information on taxonomy, morphology and biology. Key words: biogens, stereomicroscope, mesonotum, exophyllum, aedeagus, attractant. Annotatsiya: Ushbu maqolada Shimoliy g‘arbiy O‘zbekiston qon so’ruvchi yoki haqiqiy chivinlar (Culicidae) oilasiga mansub Anopheles (Anopheles) algeriensis tur, uning taksonomiyasi, morfologiyasi va biologiyasi to’g’risida ma’lumotlar keltirilgan faunistik tahlili to‘g‘risida ma‘lumotlar keltirilgan. Kalit so‘zlar: biogents, stereomikroskop, mezonotum, ekzofil, edeagus, attractant. The genus Anopheles belongs to the subfamily Anophelinae, which includes three genera: Anopheles Meigen (almost worldwide), Bironella Theobald (11 species found only in Australia), and Chagasia Cruz (4 species only in the Neotropics). Anopheles is a genus of more than 500 species of blood-sucking mosquitoes (Culicidae) [5], and members of this genus are the main vectors of malaria [1]. The genus is taxonomically divided into several subgenera: Anopheles (206 species), Baimayya (1 species), Cellia (239 species), Kerteszia (12 species), Lophopodomyia (6 species), Nyssorhynchus (34 species), and Stethomyia (5 species) [3]. It is noteworthy that only 30–40 species of these genera are involved in the transmission of malaria [4]. The classification of the species Anopheles (a.) algeriensis from the genus Anopheles was studied in 1901 by Frederick Vincent Theobald [4]. Despite the passage of time, the taxonomic status has not been fully established [1; 2; 3]. The classification into species was based mainly on morphological characters (wing spots, head structure, larval), later determined on the basis of chromosome structure and, today, DNA sequence. Later, Anopheles (Anopheles) algeriensis was recorded in France by J. Sautet (Provence, 1953) [9]. Anopheles algeriensis is a thermophilic mosquito species that is common in the Mediterranean, including North Africa [7; 10]. The species has been reported to be declining in the northern parts of Europe [6]. The morphological and biological characteristics of Anopheles (a.) algeriensis have not been studied in Northwestern Uzbekistan. Therefore, studying the species composition and 44 bioecological characteristics of representatives of the Anopheles genus is one of the most important and urgent tasks of our time. Mosquito trapping and collection were carried out in 17 locations in the northwestern part of Uzbekistan (Karakalpakstan and Khorezm) from April to October 2022-2025 in swamps and mudflats, turbid mudflats, and ponds. BG Sentinel traps developed by the German company BG Lure™ (Biogents) were used to catch mosquitoes (Figure 1).. Figure 1. General view of the BG Sentinel trap The trap used an attractive odorant, which was a source of CO2, as an attractant. The trap was operated on a 24-hour (24-hour) seasonal basis. A trap net was used to capture flies in reed beds or other open areas (Figure 1). The collected materials were stored at -20°C. The morphological identification of flies was performed using the detectors of Schaffner (2001) and Becker (2010) [7; 9]. Based on our research results, we attempted to study and present data on the taxonomy, morphological, and biological characteristics of Anopheles algeriensis. Order: Diptera Linnaeus, 1758 Suborder: Nematocera Dumeril, 1805 Infraorder: Culicomorpha Hennig, 1948 Superfamily: Cullcoidea Malloch, 1917 Family: Culicidae Meigen, 1818 Subfamily: Anophelinae Tribe: Culicini Meigen, 1818 Genus: Anopheles Meigen, 1818 Subgenus: (Anopheles) Meigen, 1818 Species: Anopheles (Anopheles) algeriensis Theobald, 1903 45 The general body color of Anopheles (Ano.) algeriensis is light brown or black. The wings are without spots. Mesonotum with dark pattern (stripes or spots) ... stripe; covered with short black hairs and bristles. Genitalia: lateral lamellae broad, with a well-pronounced rounded projection, covered with dense long. Sometimes there are open rings on the hind legs. The hypogyny of males differs from that of all other Anopheles (Anopheles) in that there is only one well-developed seta at the base of the first segment of the gill covers, located on a large flat tubercle (Fig.2). Figure 2. General appearance of Anopheles (Anopheles) algeriensis The behavior of Anopheles (Ano.) algeriensis is exophilic, with maximum activity after sunset. On cloudy days, many flights were recorded during the day. This species lives in the plains of Karakalpakstan, northwestern Uzbekistan. It develops in cooler mudflats, away from human habitation. As a malaria vector, its exophilicity and lack of contact with humans during the day due to low temperatures are important. Anopheles (Ano.) algeriensis, an exophilic mosquito, chooses plants, ditches, pits, cracks in the soil, cavities and other shelters as daytime habitats. It was noted that mosquitoes change their daytime habitats depending on the weather or changes in local conditions. When calculating the number, all possible places of daytime resting places of mosquitoes were selected. The quantitative ratio was determined based on the number of mosquitoes collected from 1 plot within 1 hour. 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