Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Mosquito habitats'

Dengue is currently the most important arboviral disease globally and is usually associated with built environments in tropical areas. Control measures are currently focused on community participation in control of the vector Aedes aegypti and larval source reduction. In Costa Rica, dengue fever is a relatively recent re-emerging disease and has become a serious public health problem. Remotely sensed information can facilitate the study of urban mosquito-borne diseases like dengue by providing multiple temporal and spatial resolutions appropriate to investigate urban structure and ecological characteristics associated with infectious disease. Initial studies showed that although dengue is a serious public health problem in Costa Rica, there is a need for interdisciplinary scientific research to guide vector control. Therefore, the dengue situation in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and applications of remote sensing to study infectious diseases like dengue within urban environments was analyzed. Satellite imagery of high and medium spatial resolution was obtained to evaluate relationships between urban structure and incidence of dengue fever at the locality level. Using the satellite imagery, a geographical sampling method was developed and applied for seasonal entomological field surveys in Puntarenas. Very high resolution imagery from QuickBird was utilized to determine the relationships between Ae. aegypti larval habitat abundance and tree cover or built areas. Results showed that the most relevant Ae. aegypti larval habitats in Puntarenas were outdoor miscellaneous containers, cans and plastic food containers that fill with rain water in the wet season, while washtubs were the most productive habitats in the dry season. Dengue incidence and abundance of larval habitats in the urban environment were directly associated with tree cover and inversely associated with built areas. Environmental conditions and urban structure, as well as human behavior were related in different ways to dengue incidence and Ae. aegypti larval habitats. Overall, remotely sensed information was useful in developing sampling strategies for field surveys and determining factors within the urban environment that may promote persistence of mosquito larval habitats and increased dengue risk. The geographical methods and relationships revealed will be useful in determining target areas for more efficient vector control.

Runnelling is a popular method of physical habitat modification employed on saltmarshes to control pest mosquito populations. The runnelling method involves linking the tidal source to isolated mosquito breeding pools via shallow channels that enable slow water movement of low amplitude tides. Increased tidal flushing inhibits mosquito development. The range of organisms which inhabit saltmarsh are likely to be influenced by altered tidal conditions as they exhibit specific physicochemical requirements for feeding, burrowing or growth. The dynamic nature of saltmarsh may mean that changes to the tidal frequency of a particular region of the saltmarsh promotes extension of marine-like conditions. Because runnels increase the frequency of flooding tidal events in specific regions of the saltmarsh this study predicted that resulting changes would be evident in the physical conditions of saltmarsh substrate, in the transport of buoyant vegetative propagules, in the population characteristics of surface grazing snails and in the density and aperture of crab burrows after flooding and non-flooding tidal events. The physical impacts of runnelling were determined at three marshes which appeared similar in terms of topography, substrate and tidal conditions. Soil water content and consolidation were measured using two sampling protocols: a) comparisons between modified and unmodified shores; and, b) comparisons with increasing lateral distance across the shore from the runnel edge. At one marsh, moisture levels were significantly higher at runnelled than at unrunnelled sites when tides filled the runnels, but this pattern was not found at the other marshes. Soil consolidation was greater at higher shore heights, but was not different between runnelled and unrunnelled shores. Measurements at different lateral distances from runnels demonstrated higher moisture levels and lower consolidation up to 5 m from the edge but not further away. Groups of marked Avicennia marina propagules were released at the three runnelled saltmarshes during flooding and non-flooding tidal events. Groups of propagules released within 10 m of a runnel were always transported significantly further from the starting position and further up the saltmarsh shore after both flooding and non-flooding tides than any other groups. In addition, the pattern of stranding on saltmarsh for significantly different groups was closely associated with the path of runnel construction so that propagules were located either in the runnel or in depressions linked to the runnel that had been isolated mosquito-breeding pools prior to runnelling. It is likely that altered physical soil conditions significantly affected the distribution and size structures of Salinator solida and Ophicardelus spp. snails recorded at the three saltmarshes. The interaction of tidal period and the presence of a runnel contributed to patterns with significant differences between runnelled and unrunnelled regions of the marsh. Generally, the runnel population of snails exhibited flood-like features even during non-flood periods. The distribution and size classes of snails did not differ with lateral distance from runnels. The burrow characteristics of the crab Helograpsus haswellianus were compared to increase the accuracy of estimating abundance from burrow counts. Including only those burrows which were obviously maintained by resident crabs significantly increased the confidence limits of estimating crab abundance using only burrow density counts. This method was applied to runnelled and unrunnelled sites to assess any changes in the density of burrows associated with the presence of runnels. Again, it is likely that physical soil conditions resulting from increased tidal frequency at the runnel did influence crab burrowing with fewer small burrows being found at the runnelled site, low on the shore. In addition, mid- and large-sized burrows tended to dominate close to the runnel edge. Site-specific soil characteristics may help to explain the lack of continuity in patterns associated with runnel effects on non-target saltmarsh resources. While the runnel may increase the soil water content of clayey substrates at some sites it could also result in de-watering of porous sandy soils at other shores. This was evident in the structure of the snail population and distribution of crab burrows which appeared to reflect altered soil physical characteristics associated with the runnel. Runnelling does affect non-target organisms in saltmarsh. However, the scale of impact was usually locally restricted (< 10 m from the runnel edge). The fact that patterns were not recorded at all sites suggests that the influence of runnels is variable and limited by substrate and some biological conditions. Given the efficiency and popularity of runnelling as a physical control method for reducing pest vector mosquito habitat, this study found no evidence to suggest that its use should be discontinued on any ecological basis measured.

Malaria is a widespread parasitic disease in developing countries of the tropics and subtropics, infecting approximately 200 million people and causing over half a million deaths every year. The disease is caused by the protozoan Plasmodium and is transferred to humans through infective bites from female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. In order to reduce malaria transmission, measures of larval control have been implemented throughout the tropics. This includes usage of larvicides, source reduction by environmental or physiochemical manipulation as well elimination of larval habitats. The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in occurrence and densities of anopheline larvae by investigating the environmental characteristics of their habitat. The study was conducted in the Gamo Gofa Zone, Great Rift Valley, Ethiopia where a total of 26 sampling sites were chosen for larval sampling. Each sampling site was characterized according to a protocol and sampled for water chemistry analysis. Environmental variables studied include water depth, habitat size, distance to nearest dwelling, land use within a 10 m and 100 m from the sampling site and number of domestic animals within a 100 m. Physiochemical variables include water temperature, pH, electric conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity and phosphate. Larval sampling was conducted on each site using a soup ladle dipper. The occurrence of anopheline larvae was statistically analysed using multiple logistic regressions, while using linear regression for analysing larval abundance at positive sites. Larval sampling resulted in a total of 1245 mosquito larvae, 567 anopheline and 678 non-anopheline. Of the anopheline larvae, 118 were analysed morphologically by microscopy which resulted in 117 belonging to An. gambiae complex and one An. garnhami. Of the 26 sites investigated, 16 were positive for anopheline larvae. All sampled river fringes and flood pools were positive for anopheline larvae whereas none were found in irrigation channels. Negative correlation for anopheline larval occurrence was obtained for both water depth and percentage of tall vegetation within 10 m radius of the sampling area. Anopheline larval abundance was only correlated, positively, with water temperature. The study concludes that water depth, temperature and percentage of tall riparian vegetation are important factors to consider when designing a control program for anopheline larvae. One should be aware of the fact that clearing riparian forest and other tall vegetation is likely to improve growing conditions for anopheline larvae. Furthermore, different habitat classes were either exclusively positive or negative for anopheline larvae, irrigation channels in the area not being suitable larval habitats during the time of measurements.  The authors suggest that more studies are needed, preferably on a larger set of sampling sites and over a longer period. Keywords: Anopheles, Ethiopia, larval habitats, water quality, environmental variables, Gamo Gofa zone.

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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
A predação é uma importante força seletiva que atua na evolução dos organismos. Predadores podem influenciar diretamente a dinâmica populacional das presas, através do consumo. Além disso, apenas a presença de pistas dos predadores sugerindo uma ameaça de predação pode exercer um efeito indireto, alterando características das espécies que as detectam. O principal objetivo foi verificar a os efeitos diretos e indiretos da predação em culicídeos que habitam ambientes com características bastante particulares, os containers. Observamos que o tamanho do container influencia a composição das espécies, sendo os predadores encontrados com maior frequência em containers maiores. Dependendo da espécie da presa, o resultado da interação direta com o predador pode ser negativo para a presa (aumento da mortalidade) ou neutro, e isso pode estar relacionado ao comportamento e uso do habitat pelas espécies. Como efeitos indiretos, a presença de um predador pode aumentar a mortalidade das presas, mesmo quando impossibilitados de consumi-las. Em geral, a tese contribui com importantes evidências dos efeitos da predação em containers.
Predation is important selective force acting in the evolution of organisms. Predators can directly influence the population dynamics of prey, through consumption. Furthermore, only the presence of predator cues suggesting a threat of predation may exert an indirect effect by changing the characteristics of the species detected. The main objective was to assess the direct and indirect effects of predation on mosquitoes that inhabit environments with very particular characteristics, the containers. We note that the container size influences the composition of species, and predators found more often in larger containers. Depending on the species of prey, the result of direct interaction with the predator may be negative for the prey (increased mortality) or neutral, and this may be related to behavior and habitat use by species. As indirect effects, the presence of predator may increase the mortality of prey, even when unable to consume them. In general, this thesis adds important evidence about the effect of predation on containers

A lack of surveillance systems is an impediment to public health intervention for perennial vector-borne disease transmission in northern tropical savanna region of Kenya. The population in this area are mostly poor nomadic pastoralists with little acquired functional immunity to Plasmodium falciparum, due to infrequent challenges with the parasite. A common characteristic in tropical savanna climatic zone is the availability of riverbeds that have anthropogenic boreholes that provide malaria vector mosquitoes, such as Anopheles gambiae s.l and Anopheles funestus, with aquatic refuge habitats for proliferation and endemic transmission to proximity human households during the dry-season. Unfortunately, currently there have been no entomological investigations employing field or remotely sensed data that can characterize and model anthropogenic borehole habitats focusing on the dry-land ecology of immature Anopheles mosquitoes in sub-Sahara Africa. The goal of this investigation was three-fold: (I) to employ WorldView-3 (0.31 meter spatial resolution) visible and near infra-red waveband sensor data to image sub-Saharan land cover associated with vector-borne disease transmission; (II) to remotely identify anthropogenic boreholes in three riverbeds that were surveyed to determine whether they provide malaria vectors with refuge habitat and maintain their population during the dry season in Chemolingot, Kenya, and (III) to obtain a radiometric/spectral signature model representing boreholes from the remotely-sensed data. The signature model was then interpolated to predict unknown locations of boreholes with the same spectral signature in Nginyang Riverbed, Kenya. Ground validation studies were subsequently conducted to assess model’s precision based on sensitivity and specificity tests.

Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and West Nile virus are serious problems in many parts of the world, especially in Africa, and partially in Ethiopia. Millions of people become infected and several hundred thousand people die worldwide from these diseases every year. The most conventional methods for mosquito vector control target female adult mosquitoes in a reactive way using insecticides. However, it is possible to perform proactive vector control through source reduction. The main focus of this study was to investigate if there are any associations between characteristics of managed still water bodies and the presence of mosquito larvae in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. This was done by measuring twelve variables, both abiotic and biotic; pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrate, phosphate, sulphate, carbonate, depth and presence of algae as well as collecting and counting mosquito larvae in ten different sites, during a time series of five weeks. The most common managed waters believed to serve as efficient breeding habitat for mosquitoes were ponds and ditches used for irrigation, drainage or cultivation. A total of 204 mosquito larvae were collected, where 95% were found in four of the ten sites, three of them were managed waters and the last one was unmanaged. Statistical analyses were performed in order to examine potential correlations and differences among the sites. Wilcoxon test was performed to investigate differences between managed and unmanaged waters. Simple linear regression analyses were performed to identify driving variables for the presence of mosquito larvae. The main results from the group tests were significant differences in mosquito larvae density between managed and unmanaged sites. Significant differences between mosquito sites and zero-sites for dissolved oxygen and sulphate were found. Simple linear regression revealed pH and dissolved oxygen as driving variables for mosquito larvae presence. It was concluded that resources should be put on treatment or manipulation of ponds, which were considered the preferred mosquito breeding habitats. However, if conflicts arise among interests concerning food production, measures must be planned and performed thoughtfully or focus should be put on less controversial breeding habitats. Among the driving variables, dissolved oxygen was the suggested variable to manipulate in order to reduce mosquito larvae populations.
Myggburna sjukdomar som malaria, denguefeber, gula febern och West Nile viruset orsakar allvarliga problem i många delar av världen, särskilt i Afrika, och till viss del Etiopien. Miljontals människor världen över blir smittade och flera hundratusen dör varje år till följd av dessa sjukdomar. De konventionella metoderna för att kontrollera och minska spridningen av myggburna sjukdomar handlar om att kontrollera vuxna myggor med insektsmedel. Det är dock möjligt att utföra en mer förebyggande vektorkontroll genom att minska populationen. Fokus för denna studie var att undersöka om det fanns några samband mellan mygglarvsförekomst och egenskaperna hos mänskligt reglerade eller oreglerade vatten i och kring Bahir Dar i Etiopien. Detta gjordes genom att mäta tolv variabler, både abiotiska och biotiska såsom; pH, konduktivitet, löst syre, turbiditet, biokemisk syreförbrukning, nitrat, fosfat, sulfat, karbonat, djup och algförekomst, samtidigt som mygglarver samlades in och räknades, vilket utfördes på tio olika platser under fem veckor. Den vanligaste typen av reglerade vatten som potentiellt skulle kunna utgöra effektiva mygglarvshabitat ansågs vara dammar och diken som används för bevattning, dränering eller odling. Totalt samlades 204 mygglarver in och 95 % av dem fanns i enbart fyra av de tio etablerade mätplatserna, där tre var reglerade och den sista var oreglerad. Statistiska analyser utfördes för att undersöka potentiella samband och skillnader i mygglarvsförekomst och uppmätta variabler bland de tio mätplatserna. Wilcoxons metod användes för att undersöka om det fanns skillnader mellan reglerade och oreglerade ytvattensamlingars larvförekomst och egenskaper. Enkel linjär regressionsanalys utfördes för att hitta eventuella drivvariabler som därmed anses styra mygglarvsförekomsten. De huvudsakliga resultaten i studien var att det förekom en signifikant skillnad i mygglarvsdensitet mellan reglerade och oreglerade ytvattensamlingar. Signifikanta skillnader i löst syre och sulfat förekom även mellan myggsiter och nollsiter. Enkel linjär regression visade på att pH och löst syre var de mest drivande variablerna för mygglarvsförekomsten i denna studie. Slutsatsen var att dammar utgjorde de mest tilltalande habitaten i samband med mygghonors äggläggning och därför borde prioriteras med avseende på resursfördelning vid planering och utförande av vektorkontroll. Om det skulle uppstå konflikter mellan olika intressen som kan äventyra matproduktionen bör insatser planeras och genomföras med försiktighet eller istället göras i andra mindre kontroversiella mygglarvshabitat. Den drivvariabel som ansågs vara den mest lämpliga att manipulera var löst syre.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. 2016
This project explored the ecological conditions of aquatic breeding sites of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato immatures in the Lowveld region of eastern Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The aim was to determine the environmental conditions influencing anopheline abundance as well as abiotic parameters which associated with vector productivity. In addition to this, the levels of insecticide resistance to the three dominant compounds used in vector control in the region were assessed. Taking into account the sympatric occurrence of the major malaria vector in South Africa (An. arabiensis Patton) and its sibling, non-vector species (An. quadriannulatus Theobald), a laboratory study was devised which investigated the outcome of intra- and inter-specific competition under constant and fluctuating temperature regimes. There was a heterogenous distribution of anophelines across aquatic habitats in Mpumalanga with small-scale variation in salinity and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) influencing species composition and Anopheles arabiensis was found in all sites surveyed with low numbers occurring where salinity levels were elevated. Anopheles merus associated with high salinity and TDS (Pearson’s Product Moment, r = 0.922, p < 0.05) whilst An. quadriannulatus dominated in breeding sites within 50m of a building or road. Anopheles gambiae complex members were susceptible to the insecticides tested with possible resistance (97%) to DDT in An. merus. Under laboratory conditions, temperature and competitive scenarios affected the life-history traits of both species studied here. The treatment 18 - 35°C generally reduced survivorship except for An. arabiensis in mixed, larval species treatments where it was similar to values reported for 25°C. Survivorship of both species at 20 - 30°C was not significantly impacted and the adult production was high across species treatments. The development rates at 25°C and 20 - 30°C were significantly different between species when reared alone and in mixed species treatments from larvae and from eggs. The effect of temperature was more pronounced at 18 - 35°C with An. arabiensis developing faster under both competitive scenarios and An. quadriannulatus slower, notably when in the presence of its competitor (p < 0.05). In the field component of this study, Anopheles arabiensis exploited all the habitats surveyed. It is therefore recommended that larval control operations should include all available breeding sites, focusing efforts during the dry season when these sites are limited and discreet within the landscape. In the laboratory component, it was possible to test whether or not community composition of anophelines at the adult stage was regulated by different temperature and competitive conditions at the larval stage to better understand the ecological conditions that determine anopheline composition and relative abundance. Taken together, the results of each component emphasize the need for local scale studies, especially under conditions of changing temperatures and rainfall patterns. The results of responses to temperatures and biotic interactions are necessary data for use in models predicting the impact of climate change on malaria vector mosquitoes.
MT2016

Atualmente, a dengue é um dos principais problemas globais de saúde. O principal vetor deste vírus é o Aedes aegypti, um mosquito de marcado comportamento sinantrópico, que, para além da dengue, é também um dos principais vetores de outras importantes arboviroses como a febre amarela, chikungunya e Zika. Na ilha da Madeira esta espécie foi detetada em 2005, tendo sido responsável por um surto de dengue que afetou a região em 2012 e 2013. Devido à sua importância médica, são vários os estudos que se têm realizado acerca da espécie na ilha, incluindo alguns referentes à sua incidência espacial. Todavia, não existe ainda uma representação espacialmente contínua da sua distribuição potencial. Neste sentido procedeu-se à criação de um modelo de distribuição potencial deste vetor para a ilha da Madeira. Para o efeito, foi utilizado um conjunto de dados baseados em levantamentos de campo referentes à presença da espécie na ilha e diversas variáveis consideradas relevantes na sua distribuição (fatores climáticos, sociodemográficos e de uso e ocupação do solo). Os resultados obtidos indicam uma probabilidade de adequabilidade mais elevada em diversos territórios localizados ao longo da faixa sul da ilha, destacando-se entre eles diversos locais que integram o Funchal e os seus concelhos vizinhos. Além do estudo da distribuição potencial da espécie, considerando que a dinâmica sazonal do vetor está associada às variações das condições térmicas e de pluviosidade, levando assim a que existam períodos onde a atividade vetorial é mais elevada, é também parte integrante deste trabalho o estudo das dinâmicas espácio-temporais do Ae. aegypti. Para isso, foram igualmente utilizados os dados respeitantes aos levamentos de campo, embora desta feita tomando em consideração o número de indivíduos encontrados e a data de cada levantamento. A variação espácio-temporal do número de indivíduos observados foi associada a um conjunto de variáveis tidas como relevantes na variação da sazonalidade da espécie. Os resultados alcançados permitem identificar que as mudanças das condições meteorológicas são determinantes na variabilidade das abundâncias do mosquito, sendo a precipitação acumulada de 3 semanas e a temperatura acumulada de uma semana umas das condicionantes que mais determinam essa variação.
Dengue has now become one of the major global health problems. The main vector of this virus is Aedes aegypti, a species of marked synanthropic behavior that, in addition to dengue, is also one of the main vectors of other important arboviruses such as Yellow Fever, Chikungunya and Zika. In Madeira Island this species was detected in 2005 and was responsible for an outbreak of dengue that affected the region in 2012 and 2013. Due to its medical importance, several studies have been made about the species in the island, including some works investigating its spatial incidence. However, its potential distribution in the island is not yet known. In this sense, we create a model of potential distribution for this vector in the island of Madeira. For that purpose, a field surveys regarding the presence or absence of the species on the island was related to several variables considered relevant in determining their distribution (e.g., climatic, sociodemographic factors and land use and occupation). The results indicate a higher suitability for the species in some of the territories located in the southern strip of the island, among them parts of Funchal and of its neighboring municipalities. In addition to the study of the spatial distribution of the species, we also investigated its seasonal dynamics in the island. For that purpose, counts of individuals across the island were associated to a set of temporally explicit spatial variables expected to drive variation in the seasonality of the species. The obtained results allowed to identify that the changes of the meteorological conditions are effectively determining the variability of the abundances of the mosquito, being the accumulated precipitation of 3 weeks and the accumulated temperature of one week some of the conditions that most influence this variation.

This research was conducted to determine the species composition and prevalence of immature mosquitoes in waste tires throughout Manitoba. Further research was done to determine if there were temporal factors, environmental factors, or tire characteristics that could predict the likelihood of finding mosquito larvae in tires. Over 95% of the larvae and egg rafts collected from tires in the two years of this study were Culex restuans. An egg raft was discovered in a tire within 24 hours of it being filled with water. Prevalence and abundance of immature mosquitoes in tires increased as the summer progressed. Tire size, and the amount of sun exposure had a significant effect on abundance and prevalence of immature mosquitoes in tires. Larger tires had significantly more immature mosquitoes and significantly more often than smaller tires. (F value 47.14, df=3, p<0.0001; x value 68.21, df=3, p<0.0001). Exposed tires contained more egg rafts than the shaded tires (p = 0.042). Stacking method affected mosquito prevalence and abundance when sampling was conducted in August. Horizontally stacked tires contained significantly fewer immature mosquitoes than either random or vertically stacked tires (p< 0.05).

Tese de mestrado, Geografia, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, 2009
A malária constituiu-se como um dos principais problemas de saúde na primeira metade do séc. XX em Portugal. Actualmente, pese embora não se registem casos endémicos, a ocorrência constante de casos importados associados uma possível capacidade de transmissão dos seus agentes infecciosos por Anopheles atroparvus, mantém presente a possibilidade de futuras infecções endémicas. Neste sentido procedeu-se à obtenção de modelos de distribuição potencial desta espécie vectora para Portugal Continental. Com base em vários levantamentos de campo referentes à presença de espécies do complexo Anopheles maculipennis e diversos factores ambientais considerados influentes na sua distribuição, foram utilizados três métodos correlativos distintos. A distribuição obtida identificou uma elevada adequabilidade da maioria do país a esta espécie, especialmente nas áreas meridionais e de interior. Identificou-se também uma constância entre a forma de distribuição da espécie aquando da endemicidade da doença e a sua distribuição actual. Também a influência das alterações climáticas é tida como responsável por alterações na forma de distribuição de espécies vectoras de malária. Com base neste pressuposto uma segunda parte deste trabalho remeteu-se à análise de eventuais influências destas alterações na área de distribuição de Anopheles atroparvus, correspondente na sua generalidade ao continente Europeu. Para isso foi efectuada a calibração de dois modelos com a distribuição actual da espécie tendo-se aplicado os parâmetros obtidos a variáveis representativas de cenários climáticos futuros. Os modelos alcançados permitiram identificar a chegada de conjugações climáticas distintas das verificadas no actual nicho da espécie em diversas áreas da sua distribuição actual, nomeadamente na Península Ibérica. Verificou-se ainda, para a totalidade dos cenários climáticos futuros uma subida em latitude das áreas de maior adequabilidade. Estas duas situações podem implicar futuras alterações na forma de distribuição e abundância da espécie, assim como de outras, suas competidoras, ou sujeitas alterações no seu próprio espaço climático.
Malaria was one of the main health problems in the first half of the 20th Century in Mainland Portugal. Nowadays, although the disease is no longer endemic, the continuous occurrence of imported cases and the possibility of its transmission by Anopheles atroparvus, presently maintain the risk of future endemic infections. In this sense habitat suitability models for this species were made for Mainland Portugal. Using presence-absence data regarding Anopheles maculipennis species complex and various environmental factors considered influential in their distribution, three distinct correlative models were calibrated. The achieved distribution identified high suitability values for the majority of the country, especially southern and interior areas. It was also identified that habitat suitability for Anopheles atroparvus in the country remains very similar to the one existing about seven decades ago when malaria was endemic. Also the influence of climate change is regarded as responsible for changes in the distribution of disease vectors. Based on this assumption a second part of this work referred to the analysis of possible influences of these changes in the global distribution of Anopheles artoparvus which corresponds coarsely to the European continent. To do so two correlative models were calibrated with the species actual distribution, the achieved parameters were then applied to a set of climate variables representing several future climate scenarios obtained from a General Circulation Model. The obtained results showed that several areas of the species current distribution, namely parts of the Iberian Peninsula, will present climate conditions distinct from the ones found nowadays in its realized niche. These results also showed a shift of suitability to northern areas. These two situations may imply future changes in the distribution and abundance of Anopheles atroparvus, as well as other species, due to changes in their biotic interactions, or in their own climate envelop.