Mark-release-recapture experiments with Anopheles saperoi (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Yona Forest, northern Okinawa, Japan.

Six mark-release-recapture experiments with Anopheles saperoi Bohart and Ingram were performed in the Yona Forest, northern Okinawa, Japan from June 1998 - November 1999, in order to estimate the gonotrophic cycle, survival, spatial distribution, flight range, and population size of An. saperoi. Adults and immature An. saperoi were collected from the Yona Forest area, taken to the laboratory and maintained under a controlled temperature and humidity in order to get a lager number of mosquitos for the mark-release-recapture experiments. Cohorts of An. saperoi females and males, numbering 3,016, 4,728, 327, and 2,603 for experiments I, II, III, and IV, respectively, were released. Cohorts of An. saperoi females only, numbering 709 and 586 for experiments V and VI, respectively, were also released. At the release site, the An. saperoi were marked with 0.5% fluorescent dye Rhodamine B and released. The recapture rates were 14 (0.93%), 33 (1.40%), 3 (1.83%), 32 (2.46%), 14 (1.97%), and 22 (3.75%) for experiments 1, II, III, IV, V, and VI, respectively. The length of the gonotrophic cycle of the recaptured An. saperoi females was estimated to be about 4 days, through the dissection method. The daily survival rate was estimated to be 0.73 by regression coefficient. The spatial distribution of marked, recaptured An. saperoi was similar to that of unmarked captured An. saperoi. The spatial distribution of the marked, recaptured An. saperoi among the collection site categories was significantly different. The observed differences in the frequency distribution of marked recaptured An. saperoi were considered to be due to the spatial variation of the habitats between the collection sites. The maximum flight range of the recaptured An. saperoi recorded in this study was 0.93 km. The population size of An. saperoi females in the study area was estimated by the Seber method to be 23,841, 1,182, 3,514, 5,679, and 9,238 for experiments I, II, IV, V, and VI, respectively. The estimated population size has a low standard of error using the Seber method, therefore we estimated our population size reasonably well. The population attributes and ecology of An. saperoi in the Yona Forest, in northern Okinawa are discussed.