Shabunin A.P., Burlak V.A., Artemov G.N., Simakova A.V. 2025. Microsporidian parasites in malaria mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from water bodies of the Ob-Irtysh basin, West Siberia, Russia // Euroasian Entomological Journal. Vol.24. No.6: 352–358 [in English].
Tomsk State University, Lenina Prosp. 36, Tomsk 634050 Russia. E-mail: alexandr.8.shabunin@gmail.com
doi 10.15298/euroasentj.24.06.11
ABSTRACT. This study investigated larval infection of malaria mosquitoes with microsporidia of the genus Parathelohania Codreanu, 1966 in water bodies of the Ob-Irtysh basin during the summer seasons of 2020–2022 yy. A total of 4576 larval specimens from 54 water bodies were analyzed. Microsporidian infection was found in three of the four species of malaria mosquitoes recorded in West Siberia, namely: Anopheles messeae Falleroni, 1926, An. daciae Linton, Nicolescu, Harbach, 2004, and An. beklemishevi Stegnii, Kabanova, 1976. Overall infection prevalence (IP) ranged from 0.14–15.78 % and amounted to 2.97 ± 0.02 %, with varying IP values for An. messeae (IP = 0.78 ± 0.01 %), An. daciae (IP = 0.81 ± 0.1%), and Anopheles beklemishevi (IP = 0.13 ± 0.06 %). The highest prevalence was observed in water bodies of the middle (IP = 2.36 ± 0.02 %) and upper Ob (IP = 2.28 ± 0.02 %) basins, while the lowest prevalence was recorded in the lower Ob basin (IP = 1.63 ± 0.07 %), which shows a statistically significant difference between these groups. The prevalence across years remained consistently low with insignificant fluctuations, and epizootic events were extremely rare. This study presents the first report of microsporidian infection in An. daciae mosquitoes, with infection prevalence comparable to that observed in An. messeae. Ultrastructural analysis identified four microsporidian species of the genus Parathelohania, namely: P. divulgata Simakova, Pankova, 2004, P. formosa Simakova, Pankova, 2004, P. teguldeti Simakova, Pankova, 2004, and P. tomski Simakova, Pankova, 2004. Our data confirm the previously reported low prevalence of microsporidia of the genus Parathelohania in malaria mosquito larvae in West Siberia.
KEY WORDS: Microsopridia, malaria mosquitoes, Parathelohania, Anopheles, water bodies.