EFFECT OF BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS ON CULEX QUINQUE FASCIATUS AND CULEX MOLESTUS IN IRAQ

Abstract

A study was conducted, between Juley and April 2013, to investigate the environmental factors (biotic and abiotic) affecting the relative abundance and distribution of mosquito in College of Agriculture/ Baghdad University. The sampling unit comprised different aquatic habitat types including basins, ponds and trocar. Morphological identification revealed two mosquito species, Culex quinquefasciatus and C. molestus. Statistical analysis indicated that C. quinquefasciatus individuals were significantly higher than C. molestus in all habitats. The relative abundance of both species was 80.3 and 16.6 respectively in trocars. Results showed the presence of other aquatic habitats including five insect families belonging to three orders (Odonata, Diptera and Coleoptera), frogs and snails.