Which Anopheles species is linked to the Sierra Nevada foothills and shaded grassy pools in wooded areas?

• A. An. punctipennis
• B. An. freeborni
• C. An. hermsi
• D. Ae. taeniorynchus

Answer: (A)

In Anopheles ecology, where a mosquito breeds and rests is a strong clue to its species. Different species prefer different water habitats and landscapes, so a description like shaded grassy pools in wooded areas directly points to the kind of vegetation-rich, still-water habitat that punctipennis is known to occupy. This mosquito tends to breed in vegetated, shaded pools along wooded edges, and its geographic range includes western North America, which covers the Sierra Nevada foothills. The other options either reference habitats more typical of other western species (such as forest-stream or spring environments) or are not Anopheles species at all, so the shaded grassy pool setting best matches punctipennis.