Abstract:
Glossina austeni and Glossina brevipalpis (Diptera: Glossinidae) are the sole cyclical vec-
tors of African trypanosomes in South Africa, Eswatini and southern Mozambique. These
populations represent the southernmost distribution of tsetse flies on the African continent.
Accurate knowledge of infested areas is a prerequisite to develop and implement efficient
and cost-effective control strategies, and distribution models may reduce large-scale, exten-
sive entomological surveys that are time consuming and expensive. The objective was to
develop a MaxEnt species distribution model and habitat suitability maps for the southern
tsetse belt of South Africa, Eswatini and southern Mozambique.The present study used existing entomological survey data of G. austeni and G. brevipalpis
to develop a MaxEnt species distribution model and habitat suitability maps. Distribution
models and a checkerboard analysis indicated an overlapping presence of the two species
and the most suitable habitat for both species were protected areas and the coastal strip in
KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa and Maputo Province, Mozambique. The predicted
presence extents, to a small degree, into communal farming areas adjacent to the protected
areas and coastline, especially in the Matutuı́ne District of Mozambique. The quality of theMaxEnt model was assessed using an independent data set and indicated good perfor-
mance with high predictive power (AUC > 0.80 for both species).The models indicated that cattle density, land surface temperature and protected areas, in
relation with vegetation are the main factors contributing to the distribution of the two tsetse
species in the area. Changes in the climate, agricultural practices and land-use have had a
significant and rapid impact on tsetse abundance in the area. The model predicted low habi-
tat suitability in the Gaza and Inhambane Provinces of Mozambique, i.e., the area north of
the Matutuı́ne District. This might indicate that the southern tsetse population is isolated
from the main tsetse belt in the north of Mozambique. The updated distribution models will
be useful for planning tsetse and trypanosomosis interventions in the area.
