Population Dynamics of Mosquito Larvae in Village Ponds and its Correlation with Physico-Chemical Parameters

Different standing water bodies act as breeding grounds of mosquitoes, thus responsible for the spread of diseases. A survey was conducted to study the population dynamics of mosquito larvae in three village ponds of Ludhiana district (Punjab), India. For this purpose water samples were collected at monthly intervals from July 2011 to June 2012 and larval density (LD/L) and larval density index (LDI %) of mosquito larvae were calculated. Three types of mosquito larvae i. e. Aedes, Anopheles and Culex were found and their LD was recorded to be maximum in rainy season from all the sampling sites. Culex larvae were the predominant type followed by Aedes and Anopheles larvae. Estimation of different types of physic-chemical parameters analysed from pond water samples at monthly intervals revealed a significant positive correlation of temperature and alkalinity with larval population, while dissolved oxygen showed a negative association, other parameters tested were found to show non-significant correlation.