This paper presents a novel malaria transmission model that explicitly incorporates the often-overlooked role of male mosquitoes in the infection dynamics. By extending a coupled vector-host framework, we derive a mosquito reproduction threshold, denoted by \({\mathcal {R}}_m\) , which governs mosquito population persistence. We demonstrate that the trivial equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable when \({\mathcal {R}}_m \le 1\) , leading to mosquito extinction, while the non-trivial equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if \({\mathcal {R}}_m > 1\) , allowing mosquito populations to persist. Additionally, we derive an analytical expression for the basic reproduction number \({\mathcal {R}}_0\) and investigate the conditions for the existence and stability of endemic equilibria. Our analysis reveals the presence of a backward bifurcation, where a stable disease-free equilibrium can coexist with a stable endemic equilibrium when \({\mathcal {R}}_0 < 1\) , implying that reducing \({\mathcal {R}}_0\) below unity may not be sufficient to eliminate malaria. Furthermore, we establish conditions for the global stability of both the disease-free and endemic equilibria. Through sensitivity analysis, we identify the parameters that most significantly influence \({\mathcal {R}}_m\) and \({\mathcal {R}}_0\) , providing insights into key biological and epidemiological drivers of malaria transmission. Numerical simulations validate the theoretical results and illustrate how variations in mating-related parameters can affect mosquito population dynamics and malaria persistence.
