Inventaire des moustiques (Diptera : Culicidae) des îles du sud-ouest de l’océan Indien, Madagascar excepté — Une revue critique

International audienceInventory of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of the islands of southwestern Indian Ocean, Madagascar excluded-A Critical Review. The biodiversity of mosquitoes in the islands of southwestern Indian Ocean is the concern of numerous publications. Here, we propose a synthetic inventory and the analysis of the mosquito diversity, based on the available literature. A comprehensive annotated checklist of mosquito species has been recently published on Madagascar; this is the reason why this land is excluded from our work. Studied area encompasses 28 tropical islands in the southern hemisphere: 4 islands in the Comoros archipelago, 5 Scattered Islands (îles Éparses), 5 in Mascarene, 11 in the Seychelles and 3 in the Chagos archipelago. In total, the mosquito list presents 73 valid species, of which 10 are Anophelinae and 63 Culicinae. The number of species that are distributed in these islands only is 19, i.e. 26%, which is a remarkable level for endemism. The richness in mosquito species in these islands is analysed through several aspects including geography, local speciation and natural or human dissemination. This updated inventory increases by 33% the number of known species by regard to the previous inventory published by Julvez & Mouchet in 1994. The historical responsibility of humans in the introduction of new mosquito species in these islands is strongly documented. For instance, the species with the highest distribution among islands are Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus. The islands belong to the afrotropical biogeographic area and, logically, the majority (63%) of mosquito species present phylogenetic affinities with continental Africa and/or Madagascar; interestingly, the number of species present in these islands and in Madagascar but absent in continental Africa is higher than the number of species present in these islands and in continental Africa but absent in Madagascar (respectively 12 and 2 species). Thanks to valuable increase in the sampling effort, our knowledge of the culicidian fauna is increasing in these islands that constitute indisputably hotspots of biodiversity.Résumé. La biodiversité des moustiques dans les îles du sud-ouest de l'océan Indien a fait l'objet de nombreuses publications. Nous proposons ici un inventaire des espèces et une analyse des peuplements, en se basant sur les données disponibles dans la littérature. Madagascar est exclu de cette étude car un inventaire des espèces de moustiques vient d'y être réalisé. La présente étude retient 28 îles tropicales de l'hémisphère sud : 4 îles dans l'archipel des Comores, 5 îles Éparses, 5 aux Mascareignes, 11 aux Seychelles et 3 dans l'archipel des Chagos. Au total, 73 espèces valides de moustiques ont été recensées, dont 10 Anophelinae et 63 Culicinae. Le nombre d'espèces exclusivement présentes dans ces îles est de 19, soit un remarquable endémisme concernant 26 % des espèces. La richesse spécifique est analysée sous plusieurs aspects incluant la géographie, la spéciation sur place, la dissémination des populations par des voies naturelles ou humaines. Le présent inventaire accroit de 33 % le nombre d'espèces connues par rapport à l'inventaire précédemment publié par Julvez & Mouchet en 1994

Diversity and role of cave-dwelling hematophagous insects in pathogen transmission in the Afrotropical region

International audienceThe progressive anthropization of caves for food resources or economic purposes increases human exposure to pathogens that naturally infect cave-dwelling animals. The presence of wild or domestic animals in the immediate surroundings of caves also may contribute to increasing the risk of emergence of such pathogens. Some zoonotic pathogens are transmitted through direct contact, but many others require arthropod vectors, such as blood-feeding insects. In Africa, hematophagous insects often play a key role in the epidemiology of many pathogens; however, their ecology in cave habitats remains poorly known. During the last decades, several investigations carried out in Afrotropical caves suggested the medical and veterinary importance particularly of insect taxa of the Diptera order. Therefore, the role of some of these insects as vectors of pathogens that infect cave-dwelling vertebrates has been studied. The present review summarizes these findings, brings insights into the diversity of cave-dwelling hematophagous Diptera and their involvement in pathogen transmission, and finally discusses new challenges and future research directions