Exploratory studies of Anopheles species abundance in five selected communities of Emohua LGA, Rivers State

Malaria is one of the public health problems facing people in many parts of Nigeria. To effectively implement malaria control program, baseline studies of species abundance and their susceptibility status to insecticides is required. The aim of the study was to carry out baseline studies on malaria vectors, species abundance and susceptibility status of indoor malaria vectors in five communities in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State. Mosquitoes larvae were collected from different breeding sites and reared in the insectary and identified morphologically. Data collected were analyzed using SAS software and statistics software GraphPad Software. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (RHO) was used in comparing Indoor Resting Density (IRD) and Man biting rates (MBR). A total of 1, 415 adult indoor mosquitoes were caught comprising two (2) genera. Of these, 1,234/1415 were Anopheles gambiae s.l. and 181/1415 were Culex species. There was a statistical difference in the distribution of Anopheles and Culex mosquitoes caught. The highest percentage of Anopheles mosquitoes were caught at Emohua 330/1234, followed by Rumuji 281/1234, Egbeda 271/1234, Akpabu 211/1234 and the least was Elele 141/1234. Examination of their abdominal conditions to determine feeding frequency indicated that the average number of fed mosquitoes ranged from 0.17 to 15.13 with a peak of 15.13 in the month of September in Elele. There was a significant difference in IRD and MBR in the area. The studies have contributed to the understanding of the distribution, composition and indoor resting behaviour of mosquito vectors in the study areas. Key words: Anopheles gambiae s.l, Culex species, insecticides, Emohua, Rivers State.