Introduction: The mosquito Anopheles stephensi is a common pest of medical importance (malaria vector) that has been reported from most parts of Iran. The study of its biological and ecological characteristics is a prerequisite for its effective control. However, its successful rearing in laboratory remains the first step in this respect. In this study we investigated a new rearing method for raising the Anopheles stephensi in the lab conditions using a commercial brand of milk powder for larval feeding.

Methods: Optimum utilization amount of commercial milk powder was assessed by measuring seven ecological characters (larval mortality, pupal mortality, total mortality, survival rate, speed of larval development, sex ratio and body size) with four different food amounts. Results: We observed significant decreases of larval, pupal and total mortality and sex ratio and significant decreases of speed of larval development and survival rate by an increase in food amounts. Body sizes did not show any significant difference among individuals of both sexes.

Conclusion: Our results indicate that the new rearing method supported the Anopheles stephensi population of higher abundance and fitness for lab experiments.

 Hakim Research Journal 20069(1):9-15.