Abstract

1Manyi, M.M*., 1 Imandeh, G.N. and 2Dechi, A.A.

Physiological ages of mosquitoes were determined from four localities in Makurdi between July, 2011 and June, 2012. A total of 4,320 adult female Anopheline and Culicine mosquitoes were dissected using standard procedures. Their order of abundance was: Culex quinquefasciatus 2,418 (56.0%) > Anopheles gambiae s.l. 1,040 (24.1%) >Anopheles funestus 641 (14.8%) > ‘unidentified’ Anopheles species 221 (5.1%) respectively. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) between the mosquito species and their abundance. 92.3% of the mosquitoes were parous and varied significantly (P < 0.05) across the four localities. The ages were determined using the number of dilatations along the length of an ovariole of each female mosquito dissected. The age groups were: 1-parous, 2-parous and 3-parous respectively. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the 1-parous and 2-parous age groups, unlike the 3-parous group across the localities and seasons,. These findings indicated that Makurdi is potentially endemic for both malaria and lymphatic filariasis since the physiological ages showed that the mosquito vectors were old enough for the parasites to complete their extrinsic incubation periods within them. This work provides entomological baseline data on mosquito longevity required for implementation and evaluation of vector control interventions in the study area.