Diversity assessment of mosquitoes with reference to the occurrence of vector borne diseases in Thalassery municipal area of Malabar coast, Kerala, India

Repeated outbreaksof vector-borne diseases necessitateddetailed study on the diversity and abundance of mosquitoes associated withThalassery municipal area, of Kannur district, Kerala, India.Seasonal collection of mosquitoes both in adult and larval forms were carried outfrom heterogeneous habitats of the municipal area to determine the species composition, relative abundance and habitat characteristics. Mosquito larvae collected from temporary and permanent breeding sites were reared to adults in the laboratory for species level identification. Similarly adult mosquitoes, collected from random sites were also subjected to species level identification following standard manuals.Species diversity of adult mosquitoes was higher during post monsoon season (2 genera, 5 species) than pre monsoon season (1 genus,2 species). However a reversal in species diversity has been noticed with mosquito larvae, with higher species diversity during premonsoon season (4 genera,8 species) than post monsoon season (4 genera, 6 species).In both the seasons, Culexquinquefaciatus and Anopheles stephensi were the most predominant species in terms of relative abundance and distribution.The mosquito communities sampled were noted to have several important vectors of infectious diseases such as Dengue, Chikungunya, Filariasis and Malaria, which recalls the urgent need for instituting appropriate measures for controlling these mosquito-borne diseases.