Diversity, distribution, abundance, and feeding pattern of tropical ornithophilic mosquitoes

Abstract

Bird-biting mosquitoes act as bridge vectors of diverse pathogens of emerging infectious diseases. In this study, we report for the first time the abundance, diversity, distribution, and feeding pattern of bird-biting mosquitoes on an island where avifaunal diversity is rich. Monthly mosquito collections were done at six different habitats in three different climatic zones using bird-baited traps over a year. Collected mosquitoes were identified using morphological and molecular tools. A total of 2,655 bird-biting mosquitoes of eight genera and 25 species were identified. Of these, 52% were Culex species, which represents 35% of the Culex species in the country. The most abundant species were Culex sitiens, Cx. pseudovishnui, Cx. nigropunctatus and Cx. quinquefasciatus, whereas the latter two were common to all habitats. The highest abundance was reported in lowland forests (49.6%), while it was lowest in highland forests (22.3%). Highest species similarity was reported from highland forests. Seasonal variations of the most abundant species were significantly different in selected habitats (p< 0.05). Two distinct biting peaks were identified, from 06:00 to 21:00 and 22:00 to 02:00. The biting nature of identified ornithophilic mosquitoes suggests the potential vector status of these mosquitoes.

Mosquito diversity (Diptera: Culicidae) and medical importance, in a bird sanctuary inside the flooded forest of Prek Toal, Cambodia

“…barbirostris was collected in our sampling. Similarly in the study conducted in Sri Lanka (Chathuranga et al, 2018) only one species of Anopheles (absent in Prek Toal) was collected, and represented 0.3% of their total collection. Out of the 8 recorded Anopheles species in our study, only 2 were found outside the bird reserve area (site 3).…”

“…This is the third most diversified genus in our study. These three species are known to be nocturnal and to feed on birds (Jansen et al, 2009;Molaei et al, 2010;Chathuranga et al, 2018). All these species were also recorded from migratory bird nesting areas in Thailand, at the exception of M. indiana, in Tiawsirisup & Nuchprayoon (2010), and at the exception of M. annulifera, by Changbunjong et al, (2013).…”

Australian mosquito assemblages vary between ground and sub-canopy habitats

“…Mosquitoes with feeding preferences for large mammals are hypothesised to be predominantly found near the ground, whereas ornithophilic species may predominantly be in the sub-canopy or the canopy layer [35,44]. For example, the ornithophilic Culex pipiens complex were found most frequently in the sub-canopy level where their preferred blood meal hosts are generally found [17,18,45]. In this study, most Cq.…”

“…Mosquito assemblages can be described by their species' abundance, richness and composition (the latter two being measures of diversity) [11,17,18]. Abundance or density relates to the direct count of the individuals of a species per unit of space, and richness is the count of the number of different species present, with assemblage composition reflecting the relative abundance of each species sampled [19].…”

Fauna associated with Malayan filariasis transmission in Banyuasin, South Sumatra, Indonesia

“…Sedang village is an area with several rivers, paddy fields, and swamp forests, which are suitable Mansonia breeding habitats that can act as zoonotic Malayan filariasis vectors. B. malayi is known to be zoonotic because it can be transmitted from animals (mammals and primates) to humans or from humans to humans through mosquito vectors [ 8 , 9 ]. The existence of mosquitoes as a vector of filariasis transmission plays a key role in its spread that is associated with the environmental conditions and behavior of the locals.…”