Mosquito collections in a high rainfall area of North Queensland, 1963-1964.

Abstract

Light traps and chicken-baited traps were used to sample the mosquito fauna near Innisfail on the NE coast of Australia. Weekly collections at fixed trapping sites in rain forest, swamp forest, mangrove forest and farm land from June 1963 to June 1964 yielded 29,395 ♀ mosquitoes of 61 species. The mosquito fauna resembled that of Papua, and at least 43 species are common to both areas. The habitat sequence rain forest, swamp forest, mangrove forest was associated with progressive restriction in mosquito fauna. Of the 39 farm land species 8 were not taken in other habitats. Densities were highest during the wet season (January to May), and lowest during periods of low temperature from June to September. All species confirmed as arbovirus vectors in Queensland were recorded. In most cases these were at lower levels than at Mitchell River Mission, near the Gulf of Carpentaria, where higher virus transmission rates have been found. C. annulirostris , the most important arbovirus vector in Queensland, was widely distributed but did not reach high density. Coq. crassipes was the most common mosquito. Aedeomyia catasticta was taken for the first time in animal baited traps.