Meteorological Parameters and Mosquito Species Diversity and Abundance along the Arabian Sea Coastline of Alappuzha District, India: A Year-round Study (2017-18)

Abstract

Tropical countries like India has a huge burden of vector-borne diseases, necessitating studies on mosquito demographics for effective control. In the present paper, we summarize the findings of a 12-month entomological survey conducted to determine the diversity of mosquitoes in human settlements located along the Arabian Sea shoreline in Alappuzha district, Kerala, India. Adult mosquitoes were sampled using CDC light-traps operated in dusk to dawn operations at ten trapping sites. Captured mosquitoes were transported to laboratory and identified using standard entomological keys. Shannon’s diversity and evenness were calculated to evaluate the richness and diversity of mosquito species. A total of 20 species were identified across five genera. Culex tritaeniorhynchus is the eudominant species followed by Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex gelidus. The seasonal variability of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and Cx. gelidus , the two principal vectors for West Nile and Japanese Encephalitis viruses, were studied. The present study provided valuable information about the mosquito demographics and seasonal variability of abundance in human settlements along the Arabian Sea shoreline in Alappuzha, India. Considering the venerability of the area to vector-borne diseases due to ecology and presence of migratory birds, future studies may be necessitated to determine the association between vector biodiversity and risk of viral disease transmission to humans.