Approximately 1.4 billion people are at some risk of malaria infection in the South East Asia region, with 352 million at high risk. The most common and effective malaria vector control strategies currently in use are based on insecticides: indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long-lasting insecticide-treated nets. However, these interventions were designed for indoor-biting vectors, and hence are not necessarily effective in all regions. Although there are many nongenetic tools for vector control, a major limitation is the research-based evaluation of efficiency of those tools in many areas. Another limitation for research of malaria vectors in Asia is due to the high complexity of many vector species and the difficulty to maintain most of the important vectors in the laboratory, as it is very labor intensive. Here, we review the ecological and behavioral characteristics of only the most important anthropophilic vectors within this region: Anopheles culicifacies, Anopoheles fluviatilis, and Anopheles stephensi across the Indian subcontinent; and Anopheles dirus and Anopheles minimus within Southeast Asia. The challenges in applying genetic control methods to malaria vectors in Asia will be similar to the other nongenetic tools that have been used to control vectors in this region: species complexity, multiple vectors, and potential vectors in each endemic area and only a few species that can be successfully maintained in the laboratory.
