Some like it cool: The effect of ambient temperature on the size of Anopheles funestus from southern Mozambique

Abstract

The wing lengths of 3,553 unfed, recently emerged, and 13,256 gravid female Anopheles funestus Giles from exit collections, undertaken between March 2004 and May 2005, were measured. Only in the warmest months were mean wing lengths of unfed females significantly smaller than gravid females. Mean wing lengths of unfed, females varied from 2.26 mm (Bootstrap 95% CI [2.25-2.27]) in January when mean air temperatures were 24.8°C to 2.70 mm (Bootstrap 95% CI [2.68-2.72]) in July when mean temperatures were 8.4°C cooler. Mean wing lengths increased by 0.05 mm for each degree decrease in air temperature. Temperature explained 60% of the variation in wing length. © 2012 Entomological Society of America.