Studies on the age-composition of samples ofAnopheles darlingiRoot (Diptera: Culicidae) in Brazil

The Polovodova ageing technique was applied to females of Anopheles darlingi Root in the northern part of Mate Grosso, Brazil, in April 1978; 1·5% of the females had oviposited at least four times and were old enough to be potential vectors of malaria. The oldest female dissected had oviposited six times. The mosquito has a resting period of at least 24 h between oviposition and the next blood-meal. There was a pronounced peak of biting activity, consisting largely of nulliparous females, at dawn and dusk.