Table 1 Glossary of terms related to mosquito biting activity used in the literature

Field collection

Human biting rate

The number of actively biting or blood fed female mosquitoes divided by the number of study participants per night, sometimes estimated from human landing catch

[21, 22, 46, 53]

Human biting density

Sum of female mosquitoes caught in a sampling period divided by the total number of houses sample

[53]

Human landing rate

Number of mosquito bites per night estimated from number of female mosquitoes landing on subjects

[29]

Biting rate/biting activity/bite trends

Sum of female mosquitoes landing on volunteers averaged for different portions of survey period

[23, 46]

Human landing catch

Human bait used to capture female mosquitoes as they attempt to feed, usually with an aspirator

[30,31,32,33]

Human landing collection

Human bait used to capture female mosquitoes as they attempt to feed, usually with an aspirator

[34, 35]

Human landing count

Human bait used to capture female mosquitoes as they attempt to feed, usually with an aspirator

[36]

Human biting catch

Female mosquitoes captured in the act of biting

[37]

Man-landing catch

Human subjects act as both baits and traps for female mosquitoes

[38]

Laboratory collection

Mosquito biting rate

The number of female mosquitoes that attempted feeding on a human study participant during an observation period under laboratory or experimental conditions

[39, 40]

Derived model parameters

Biting rate

Parameter used in estimating malaria Ro in the Ross-MacDonald model

[24, 41]

Entomological inoculation rate

Human biting rate

Malaria transmission estimated from human bite rate

Parameter estimated from human landing catch data collected in the field

[21, 42, 43]