Animal Research International (2007) 4(2): 673 – 676 673 QUALITATIVE STUDY OF ANOPHELES SPECIES IN KONDUGA LAKE AREA OF BORNO STATE, NIGERIA KALU, Kalu Mong., NDUKA, Florence Onyemachi and ETUSIM, Paschal Emeka Medical Entomology and Parasitology Unit, Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Abia State University, Uturu Nigeria Corresponding Author: Kalu, K. M. Medical Entomology and Parasitology Unit, Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Abia State University, Uturu Nigeria. Email: [email protected] Phone: 08057963136 ABSTRACT The investigation on Anopheles species in Konduga lake area, Borno State of Nigeria, was carried out to identify various Anopheles species prevalent in the area and to determine their relative population densities. Six Anopheles species were recorded, namely, A. gambiae, A. funestus, A. ziemanni, A. squamosus, A. pharoensis, and A. maculipalpis. The relative population densities of various species were higher during rainy season than during the dry season. The population densities of female Anopheles were higher than those of the males. With the exemption of A. maculipalpis, all the other Anopheles species recorded during the study are known transmitters of human malaria. A. gambiae of the A. gambiae complex was dominant in the study area. The periodic occurrence of Anopheles explains periodicity of malaria epidemiology in the study area. The high population of the female Anopheles predisposes inhabitants of the study area to incessant contact with the malaria vectors. Lake Konduga and its environments seem to satisfy the basic requirements of Anopheles mosquitoes growth and survival. Keywords: Tropical lake, Anopheles species, Malaria vectors INTRODUCTION females tend to fly quietly and bite less painfully, and so their approaches are seldom noticed. Mosquitoes are perhaps the best known of all insects Female anophelines are important vectors in the tropical and temperate regions of the world responsible for the maintenance and spread of because of their aggressiveness not only to humans causative agents of human and animal malaria. but to other animals as well. This is due to their Besides spreading malaria and other diseases, they painful bites and to the fact that they are vectors of cause irritation and annoyance by their bites and causative agents of several dangerous diseases of buzzing sound. Generally, when a disease is spread man and his domestic animals. The most important by a vector, it is simpler, cheaper, and more cost man-biting mosquito species belong to the genera effective to attack the vector rather than the Anopheles, Aedes, Gules, Haemogogus, Mansonia, pathogen, thus a study of the ecology of the vector is Psorophora and Sabethes (Service, 1980). necessary. This study is designed to contribute Breading sites of mosquitoes vary depending towards solving the problem in Konduga lake area of on species. The sites include freshwater, such as Borno State. edges of streams, permanent still water bodies, such The study mainly attempts to provide as gutters, discarded containers, tree holes, leaf axils qualitative data on relative population densities of and others. Anopheles species incident in Konduga lake area. It Generally, Anopheles species thrive well in also attempt to provide baseline information for habitats where nice and deep freshwater, with good subsequent assessment of probable cause of malaria amount of vegetation of provide food and shelter is epidemiology in Konduga and so ensure the proper available. They thrive best in habitats where they are planning of control measures. protected from extreme heat. The adults are, thus, adapted to definite ranges of temperature and MATERIALS AND METHODS variations in humidity. Konduga lake seems to possess these qualities for breeding of anophelines. Study Area: Sampling was carried out in Low Cost Anopheles is a gnus which is, among other Housing Estate of Borno State Housing Corporation, mosquito genera, easily identified, Anopheles adults Konduga. Konduga is the headquarters of Konduga possess, in common, speckled wings with dark and Local Government Area in Borno State, Nigeria. pale-coloured scales, and the scutella are single- Konduga lies on latitude 11o40” N and longitude lobed, among other distinguishing features. Female 13o15” E and is located about 32 kilometers from palps are almost as long as the proboscis. When Maiduguri Urban and along Maiduguri-Bama road. resting or biting the abdomen of an Anopheles is usually held up at an angel from the surface on which Mosquito Sampling: Indoor and outdoor resting it is resting, forming a straight line with the adult mosquitoes were randomly collected once proboscis. Cohen (1982) observed that Anopheles weekly with an oral aspirator between the hour of 4.00 and 7.00 am for a standard period of one hour ISSN: 159-3115 ARI 2007 4(2): 673 – 676 www.zoo-unn.org 674 60 50 A. ziemanni s A. squamosus e l 40 A. pharoensis A. Maculipalpis nophe A A. gambiea 30 f A. Funestus o r e b 20 m Nu 10 0 January March May July September November Month Figure 1: Monthly disribution of Anophles species in Konduga lake area per sampling. Captured mosquitoes were gathered species indicated that A. gambiae was the most alive in large specimen glass tube with finely abundant. This result corroborates with the findings perforated cover to allow aeration, and taken to the of Mafiana et al. (1998) and Amusan et al. (2003) in laboratory on the same day. In the laboratory, the Abeokuta, Nigeria. A. funestus was the least mosquitoes were paralysed with chloroform on top of abundant species. Out of the 284 anophelines caught the perforated specimen tube cover and allowed to 202 were females representing 71.1& of the stand for some time. The paralysed mosquitoes were, Anopheles population. thereafter, identified using a dissecting microscope Figure 1 is a graphic representation of the into culicines and anophelines, then the later were monthly occurrence of the various Anopheles species further identified into species and sexes, all in line recorded during the survey period. The six species with identification of mosquitoes by Service (1980). that occurred in the area showed monthly and Collection of mosquitoes was carried out for a period seasonal variations in population densities. of twelve months. Populations were high during rains and low in dry months. This results conforms with Vas et al. (2004) Climatic Data Collection: Atmospheric and Jude et al. (2007) observations in Assam, India, temperatures in Konduga lake area were recorded and Central South-West Cameroon respectively. June thrice daily throughout the survey period using a of the survey period marked the on-set of rains while “maximum and minimum thermometer”. Readings rains progressed through July and August but ended were taken in the morning by 4.00 to 7.00 am, at in September during the period. High Anopheles noon by 2.00 to 3.00 pm, and in the night by 8.00 to populations were recorded in June, September, and 9.00 pm. Relative humidities were calculated thrice October of the study period with a population peak daily. With the maximum temperature (Tmax) and observed in September; five out of the six recorded minimum temperature (Tmin) readings of the Anopheles species occurred in this month. Whereas thermometer, wet-bulb depression (WBD) was four species occurred in June and August, three calculated by applying the equation. Tmax – Tmin = occurred in July and October, which was the on-set of WBD. Using the Tmax and WBD values, Relative dryness, recorded two species. While complete Humidities were read off from Psychromatic tables. absence of Anopheles was observed in April, other dry months witnessed low population densities. The Data Analysis: Chi-square statistic was used to various Anopheles species exhibited diversity in compare the monthly anopheline mosquito monthly occurrence. In January and March of the populations while analysis of species catches was study period only A. pharoensis occurred. This same done by using student’s t-test. species occurred in ten out of the eleven months in which Anopheles were captured, being absent in RESULTS AND DISCUSSION October only. Meteorological records obtained in Konduga during the period of the survey indicate that A total of 1481 adult mosquitoes were collected April months was the warmest. Table 1 shows the during the twelve months study period. This number monthly mean atmospheric temperature and relative was made up of 1197 culicines and 284 anophelines. humidities during the period. Six Anopheles species, namely, A. funestus, A. The mean relative humidities of 71.9 percent gambiae, A. maculipalpis, A. pharoensis, A. and 70.7 percent recorded in July ad September squamousus, and A. ziemanni, occurred in the study respectively implicated these months to be most area. Monthly and annual abundance of individual humid during the period, student t-test shows no 675 Table 1: Monthly mean temperatures and was made by Gadzama (1983) when he studied relative humilities at Konduga during the study mosquito vectors of the Sahel savanna. period The density of a vector species depends Month Mean Mean Relative much on climatological factors favourable or Temperature (oC) Humidity (%) unfavaourable for its breeding as well as adult January 22.6 38.4 survival. For instance, a heavy or repeated rainfall February 24.5 29.6 may be favourable for the development of a number March 31.6 28.1 of species and yet be detrimental to others. The April 34.8 31.1 May 33.5 48.0 reduction in population of A. gambia and the June 28.2 65.9 increases in populations of A. squamosus, A. July 27.5 71.9 pharoensis and A. maculipalpis in the months of August 28.4 55.0 repeated or heavy rainfall (July and August) during September 30.8 70.7 the present study conform with these facts. October 31.5 57.3 Horsfall (1995) posited that temperatures November 29.1 45.5 stimulate mosquito populations in all situations and December 29.5 46.1 that tolerance to temperature varies generally from mosquito species to species.