7/21: Rise of the Anopheles

Last week, I was made aware of an interesting trend. Evidently, since 2015/2016 there has been an increased pervasiveness in the Anopheles mosquito throughout the Animas River Valley. In years past, there had been perhaps one to two samples per season containing the Anopheles mosquito. Now, we average an Anopheles sample roughly once per week. This trend is a concerning one, due to the Anopheles mosquito boasting the highest victim mortality rate of any species. They prefer to hide in the grassiest, most shallow edges of aquatic environments. This makes them difficult for both us and potential predators to find them. The Anopheles mosquito larvae is distinctive in that they, at first glance, appear to be nothing but a bit of flotsam on the surface of the water. However, upon closer inspection and stimulation they begin to exhibit customary (though slightly modified) larval movement. Once adults, they are identified by the position of their abdomen; when landed, it is posed at a nearly 45 degree angle, rather than the near-horizontal level of a species such as Ades. Treatment methods do not differ from traditional, so we will see if/how this trend changes in the coming weeks!