The occurrences and habitat characteristics of mosquitoes in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

A study to assess mosquito species occurrences and the effects of some ecological characteristics on their breeding was undertaken in Accra. Five species of mosquitoes, Anopheles gambiae s.l, Culex decens, Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles melas and Aedes aegyptii were found occurring in a wide variety of places. C. decens were the most abundant and widely distributed, occurring sympatrically with C. quinquefasciatus in rice fields and fishponds. The Culex species occurred largely in pools of water with high nutrient levels equivalent to or slightly lower than 2.8 mg/l NH4, 3.9 mg/1 NO3, 3.9 mg/l NO2, 2.2 mg/l S04, 9.6 mg/l PO4 and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels of range 2.9–8.8 mg/l. The Anopheles species, on the other hand, occurred largely in pools of water of low nutrient levels equivalent to or less than 0.5 mg/l NH4, 0.6 mg/l NO3, 0.8 mg/l N02, 1.3 mg/l S04, 0.8 mg/l PO4 and high dissolved oxygen levels ranging from 5.5–18 mg/l. The pH, habitat size and temperature were also identified as determinants in the species occurrence, abundance and distribution.