Water collections which may provide breeding habitats for mosquitoes in Tihama lowland, Asir region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, were surveyed throughout the period from September 2000 to August 2002. A total of 2379 from 11409 surveyed breeding sites (20.85 %) were positive for mosquitoes. Mosquito larvae were found in a variety of water collections including temporary, permanent, natural or man-made habitats. The abundance of different mosquito species and the seasonal productivity of mosquitoes in each type of these habitats were determined. Permanent and semi-permanent water were the main sites for mosquito breeding. Twenty mosquito species were identified in the study area; Seven anopheline species (Anopheles d’thali, An. rupicolus, An. arabiensis, An.sergentii, An. multicolor, An. turkhudi and An. pretoriensis); eight culicine species (Culex pipiens complex, Cx. sinaiticus , Cx. tritaeniorhynchus Cx. bitaeniorhynchus. Cx. sitiens, Cx. duttoni and Cx. tigripes), four aedine species (Ae. vexans arabiensis, Ae vittatus, Ae. aegypti and Ae. caballus) and Culesita spp. An. d’thali, An. sergenti, An. arabiensis, Cx sinaiticus, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus were the most abundant anopheline and culicine species in most surveyed habitats. No significant difference was found between the prevalence of certain mosquito species and a specific chemical parameter of the breeding water in natural habitats. The number of mosquito aquatic habitats was highly variable either among seasons or between consecutive months. The year-round presence of immature mosquitoes indicates that the climatic conditions of the area are not limiting to the development of most prevailing mosquito species. The regression coefficient between habitats availability, number of pools positive for mosquitoes and the seasonal abundance of mosquitoes were investigated. |
