Abundance and Diversity of Mosquito Species Larvae in Shendam LGA, Plateau State, North-Central Nigeria: A Panacea for Vector Control Strategy

The breeding of mosquitoes takes place in various habitat types. Some breed in natural habitats while others prefer artificial breeding sites where they mature to adult mosquitoes which are haematophagous in nature and are vectors of diseases in which some are either anthropomorphic or zoophilic. Thus, this study investigated the abundance and diversity of mosquito species larvae in Shendam LGA, Plateau State, NorthCentral Nigeria as a panacea for vector control strategy in relation to their habitat types and gradients to houses. The selected habitats were surveyed weekly between August and October, 2014 across five communities. A total of 1,700 mosquitoes larvae of variable instars were collected and reared to adults in which 1,241 successfully emerged as adults comprising of four genera namely: Anopheles (38.92%), Culex (60.11%), Aedes (0.81%) and Mansonia (0.16%), and a total of fifteen species were identified of which Anopheles spp. were 6, Culex spp. 5, Aedes spp. 3 and Mansonia species 1. Culex quinquefasciatus and Anopheles gambiae were the most abundant species. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in larval abundance between anopheline and culicine groups. The abundance of anopheline larvae in relation to habitats types showed significant difference (P < 0.05) while no significant difference (P > 0.05) was recorded in abundance of culicine larvae across habitats. There was significant variation (P < 0.05) in mosquitoes abundance in relation to locations. Anopheline breed far away from houses and there was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in their abundance in relation to gradients. Culicine breed close to houses but there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in their abundance in relation to gradients. Rice paddy was the most productive habitat type. The results of this study depicts high species abundance and relatively low diversity but a high larval breeding index due to enabling environment that has been created by anthropogenic activities which may result in serious threat of mosquito-borne diseases among the inhabitants of the selected communities in Shendam LGA, Plateau State. Implementing a larviciding strategy in most especially rice paddy during the wet season is presumably the most cost-effective strategy to consider.

Keywords: Mosquitoes larvae breeding, Abundance, Diversity, Habitat types, Gradients, Breeding Index.