Species Composition of Man-Biting Mosquitoes in a Students Populated Community in Anambra State

Mosquitoes are vectors of parasitic diseases among humans and animals. A survey of man- biting adult mosquitoes’ species was conducted in Ifite Awka, Anambra State, to determine their distribution, abundance, physiological state and biting time. The outdoor and indoor biting mosquitoes were collected by human bait collection and pyrethrum-based insecticide knockdown methods respectively. Five human volunteers were involved in the outdoor collection and Raid ® a pyrethroid-based insecticide was used in the indoor collection. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests. The 117 adult mosquitoes collected indoors comprised: 111(94.9%) Culex quinquefasciatus and 6(5.1%) Anopheles gambiae (p<0.05). Of the total indoor collection, 47(40.17%) were unfed, 19(16.24%) were freshly fed, 30(25.64%) were half gravid and 21(17.95%) were gravid (p>0.05). The 105 adult mosquitoes collected outdoors had Culex quinquefasciatus (88.6%; n = 93) as the most abundant, while Aedes aegypti and Mansonia africana both were collected in equal numbers 6(5.7%) each (p<0.05). The adult mosquitoes were collected during twilight hour between 5:00pm-8:00pm. M. africana biting peak was between 5.00pm and 5:15pm, Ae. aegypti between 5:45pm and 6:00pm, while C. quinquefasciatus peaked between 7:45pm and 8:00pm. This study revealed that mosquitoes earlier incriminated as vectors of certain parasitic diseases are biting both indoor and outdoor in the study area. Integrated vector control is recommended to curtail the biting nuisance of the mosquito vectors in the study area.