Abstract
Ecological investigations were conducted between June and October 2013 on the species composition of culicine mosquitoes breeding in discrete rock pool habitats and chemistry of their microhabitats on inselbergs within Kaduna State, Nigeria. Standard soup ladle dipper (0.105L capacity) was used to obtain representative samples of preimaginal stages of mosquito into plastic bowls. HANNA HI98129 pH/EC/TDS/TEMP meter was used to determine habitats' physicochemical parameters in situ. Habitats' turbidity, alkalinity, total suspended solids, total hardness, Chemical oxygen demand, phosphate and nitrate levels were determined following standard laboratory protocols. Fully developed (4th instar) larvae were preserved with 70% ethanol in labelled specimen bottles while larvae in their lower instars were nurtured on baker's yeast diet in the laboratory, prior to preservation. Mosquitoes were identified microscopically to species by means of pictorial morphological keys. Data were analysed by ANOVA, Pearson correlation and principal component analyses. A total of 269 (69.69%) of the 386 rock pools examined were positive with culicine mosquitoes, yielding 31691 larvae belonging to seven species. These included 30366 (95.97%) Aedes vittatus, 266 (0.84%) Culex albiventris, 105 (0.33%) Culex horridus, 241 (0.76%) Culex macfiei, 139 (0.44%) Culex pipiens pipiens, 523 (1.65%) Culex perfidiosus, 1 (0.003%) Culex simpsoni and 1 (0.003%) Culex tigripes. The mosquitoes bred as sole, double, triple and quadruple conspecific, heterospecific, congeneric and heterogeneric combinations. Specific ranges of breeding habitats' parameters were depths (0.4-65cm), surface areas (1.5-1970m 2 ), temperatures (22.8-36.5°C), pH(7.05-12.69), TDS (0-276ppm), EC (0-572µscm -1 ), TSS (10-150mgL -1 ), turbidity (1.97-178NTU), hardness (30.3-545.4 mgL -1 ), COD (80-480mgL -1 ), PO 4 3- (mgL -1 ), NO 3 - (8.5- 109.4 mgL -1 ) and alkalinity (2-111mgL -1 ). Water temperature and hardness were determinants of spatial distribution of mosquitoes in the rock pools. TDS, EC and akalinity significantly correlate with mosquito larval abundance in rock pools (P<0.001). The study observed widespread breeding of noxious mosquito vectors of diseases in rock pools throughout the State and recommends their targeted control in situ.
Highlights
Mosquitoes are unambiguously the most important vectors of infectious disease-causing agents that tremendously affect global health, with over half of the global human population at risk of exposure to mosquito-transmitted infections and more than 1 billion cases of such infections reported each year (Famakinde, 2018)
Ecological investigations were conducted between June and October 2013 on the species composition of culicine mosquitoes breeding in discrete rock pool habitats and chemistry of their microhabitats on inselbergs within Kaduna State, Nigeria
A total of 386 rock pools distributed in twenty one settlements on inselbergs were observed for microhabitats supportive of preimaginal culicine mosquitoes
Summary
Mosquitoes are unambiguously the most important vectors of infectious disease-causing agents that tremendously affect global health, with over half of the global human population at risk of exposure to mosquito-transmitted infections and more than 1 billion cases of such infections reported each year (Famakinde, 2018). In Nigeria, these diseases constitute the number one public health challenge, imparting negatively on the country’s economic development, to the tune of more than 1% growth penalty per year (Olayemi et al, 2010) These vectors of human and animal diseases have diverse habits that allow them to colonize different kinds of environments (Rueda, 2008). Mosquito species exhibit a remarkable diversity of oviposition behaviours that ensure eggs are deposited into microenvironments conducive for successful larval development and the emergence of the mosquito generation (Day, 2016) This oviposition preference of adult female mosquitoes and the ability of immature stages of mosquitoes to adapt to both biotic and Journal of Mosquito Research 2019, Vol., No.5, 35-48 http://emtoscipublisher.com/index.php/jmr abiotic environmental conditions of a given aquatic habitat determine the abundance and distribution of immature mosquitoes (Dejenie et al, 2002; Day, 2016). Such environments are well documented as biological hotspots which often support unique biotic communities and high levels of endemism while the composition of mosquito fauna of a pool is influenced by its temporary or permanent nature (Lindenmayer et al, 2008)
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