Assessment of mosquito species composition and abundance in Misau metropolis, Misau Local Government Bauchi State, Nigeria

Abstract

The distribution and abundance of mosquito species in Misau Metropolis were studied monthly between April and September, 2021. Mosquitoes were sampled monthly from five (5) clusters randomly distributed across the city using dippers. The mosquito habitats sampled include domestic containers, bowl, used vehicle tyres, gutters, containers, footprints and stagnant waters around the study area. The larvae collected were kept until adult emergence and identified microscopically using standard morphological keys. A total of 3730 mosquitoes species belonging to three genera were collected. Out of these, Culex quinquefasciatus were the predominant species with 58.81%. The month of August recorded the highest number of mosquitoes with the peak value of 877 mosquitoes. The composition of mosquito species in the study area indicated that Three (3) species occurred in all five clusters with the highest number of mosquitoes found in GRA. The presence of these mosquitoes in the study may cause mosquito borne diseases such as malaria and yellow fever in the area. Therefore, there is need for effective mosquito control and public enlightenment on the need to prevent mosquitoes from breeding because presence of these mosquito species in the study area may expose the community to mosquito borne diseases such as malaria and yellow fever.