Influence of Meteorological Variables on Mosquitoes Breeding in Theni District, Tamilnadu, India

Abstract

The ecology, distribution and abundance of various mosquito vectors is important in the determination of disease prevalence in disease endemic areas. The present study is aimed to determine the distribution and abundance of mosquitoes in different habitats of Theni district, Tamilnadu, India. The influence of weather on mosquito populations was studied. All the possible permanent and temporary water bodies were surveyed in selected sites during dusk and dawn hours. Ten localities were randomly selected and sampled twice per month with 15 days interval for a period of six months, from July to December 2015. A total of 1226 individuals of 21 species belonging to 7 genera were identified. Among the collected specimens the Culex species were predominant in polluted water habitat followed by Aedes in fresh water. The high number of Shannon-Weiner diversity index was recorded for Culex (0.1596) and Aedes (0.1564) species, followed by Simpson’s dominance index (0.1270) for Culex . The findings of this study highlight the importance of improperly maintained drainages, containers and unused things in study sites are engaged to mosquito development. This will be essential for designing and implementing mosquito control.