Meteorological Parameters and Mosquito Abundance in Pashan Area of Pune, India during South West Monsoon and Post-Monsoon Seasons in 2016

Abstract

The resurgence of vector borne diseases over the last decade has raised concerns about the role of climatic factors. Rapid urbanization due to expansion of Indian cities like Pune over the last decade has altered local land-use and environment. The present study was undertaken to investigate the composition and seasonal abundance of mosquito population in Pashan area of urban Pune, which was urbanized rapidly during 2001-2005. Mosquitoes were trapped and identified to determine the species composition and abundance. Association of meteorological parameters like temperature, humidity and rainfall with mosquito abundance was also analyzed from June to November 2016. Raw meteorological data was obtained and analyzed mathematically to determine derived parameters like diurnal temperatures and fortnightly averages of all parameters. A total of 21 species of mosquitoes were observed across four genera viz. Aedes , Anopheles , Culex and Armigerus . Mosquito abundance (M) peaked during South West (SW) Monsoon and correlated positively with maximum and minimum relative humidity and rainfall. In post-monsoon season mosquito abundance decreased alongwith relative humidity. Interestingly, the mosquito abundance is modulated by diurnal temperature range (DTR). During SW monsoon, low DTR corresponded to high mosquito abundance. The trend was reversed in the post-monsoon season as DTR increased by ~4 folds in comparison to SW monsoon and mosquito abundance decreased sharply. Mosquito population in the study area showed diversity and seasonal variability, influenced by meteorological parameters. DTR seemed to be the major factor affecting seasonal variability in mosquito abundance.