A Survey of Mosquito Larval Habitats and Species Distribution in Rivers State University of Science and Technology Nkpolu Porthacourt, Nigeria

A survey was carried out to determine the various mosquito breeding habitats within the campus of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology and ascertain information on the public health importance of the mosquito species found in the area. Larval survey was carried out in four breeding habitats located within the staff residential quarters and security/Acada village of the university. The breeding habitats included stagnant pool of water, gutter/drains, discarded containers and plantain leaf axil. Dipping and Aspiration methods were used to sample mosquito larvae in the various habitats. The survey was carried out during the wet season from April-June, 2011. The larvae were sorted, counted and reared in the laboratory under ambient environmental conditions. The emerged adults were identified morphologically to species level using standard keys. Three genera (Anopheles, Aedes and Culex) of mosquitoes were got from the breeding habitats. Mosquitoes species identified included two species of Anopheles, An gambiae s. l and An nilli, three species of Culex, Cx. quinquifasciatus, Cx poicilipes and Cx tigripes and one species of Aedes, Aedes aegypti. Aedes aegypti was the most abundant (40.4 %,) and well distributed in all the breeding sites, this was followed by An gambiae s. l (31.84 %) and C. quinquinfasciatus (18.37 %). An nilli, C poicilipes and C tigripes had percentage abundance of 5.71 %, 2.86 % and 0.19 % respectively. Most of these species have been implicated in public health diseases. This suggests that the residents within the university are at risk of mosquitoes-borne diseases. The study recommends strict enforcement of proper waste management and health enlightenment campaigns within the university community which will reduce the breeding of these mosquitoes and reduce the transmission risk.