The Temperature Relations Of The Immature Stages Of The Malarial Mosquito, Anopheles Quadrimaculatus Say, With A Comparison Of The Developmental Power Of Constant And Variable Temperatures In Insect Metabolism1,2

For half a century medical men, biologists, engineers, and many other anti-malarial workers have increasingly endeavored to bring the world's most devastating disease, malaria, under control. Its widespread prevalence in the southeastern United States is attributed largely to the activities of the mosquito vector, Anopheles quadrimaculalus Say, which serves as the definitive host of the Plasmodium parasites which are the causative agents of the malady. A principal method in the control of the disease throughout the world has been the prevention of breeding of anopheline mosquitoes. Although the literature on these forms has grown very rapidly, few attempts have been made to determine their reactions to isolated and controlled environmental conditions. Field investigations have been very numerous, but these have been under such a complexity of circumstances that only a very fragmentary knowledge has been obtained concerning the specific factors and combinations of factors that contribute to their success in nature. It has been generally recognized in recent years that it is essential to make a thorough, basic study of the ecology of the species concerned before the greatest mosquito control achievements can be accomplished.