A comprehensive entomological survey was undertaken in Alipurduar District, West Bengal, from 2018 to 2020 and in 2022. This study was prompted by reported malaria cases and conducted across nine villages, seven Sub-Centres, and three Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Mosquitoes were hand-collected with
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A comprehensive entomological survey was undertaken in Alipurduar District, West Bengal, from 2018 to 2020 and in 2022. This study was prompted by reported malaria cases and conducted across nine villages, seven Sub-Centres, and three Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Mosquitoes were hand-collected with aspirators and flashlights from human dwellings and cattle sheds during the daytime. Both morphological and molecular techniques were used for species identification. Additionally, mosquitoes were tested for
Plasmodium parasites and human blood presence. Mosquito species such as
An. barbirostris s.l.,
An. hyrcanus s.l.,
An. splendidus, and
An. vagus were morphologically identified. For species like
An. annularis s.l.,
An. minimus s.s.,
An. culicifacies s.l., and
An. maculatus s.s., a combination of morphological and molecular techniques was essential. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase gene subunit 1 (CO1) was sequenced for
An. annularis s.l.,
An. maculatus s.s.,
An. culicifacies s.l.,
An. vagus, and some damaged samples, revealing the presence of
An. pseudowillmori and
An. fluviatilis. The major
Anopheles species were
An. annularis s.l.,
An. culicifacies s.l., and
An. maculatus s.s., especially in Kumargram and Turturi PHCs.
Plasmodium positivity was notably high in
An. annularis s.l. and
An. maculatus s.s. with significant human blood meal positivity across most species. Morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses are crucial, especially for archived samples, to accurately identify the mosquito fauna of a region. Notably, this study confirms the first occurrence of
An. pseudowillmori and
An. sawadwongporni in West Bengal and implicates
An. maculatus s.s.,
An. culicifacies s.l., and
An. annularis s.l. as significant vectors in the Alipurduar region.
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