Assessment of Pupal Productivity of Aedes and Co-occurring Mosquitoes in Kolkata, India.

Monitoring of dengue vectors provide baseline information about the abundance and subsequent management strategy. An appraisal of mosquito abundance using dengue vectors as focal species was made in respect to Kolkata, India as geographical area. The data on immature abundance in the container larval habitats viz, earthen, porcelain and plastic materials were subjected to three-way factorial ANOVA, using months, habitats and species as variables. Similar tests were done on pupal weight and wing length. It was observed that Anopheles subpictus, Culex quinquefasciatus coexist with Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in different container habitats, that varied with months and habitats. Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were found in higher proportions in porcelain and plastic containers. In earthen containers a stable ratio of three mosquitoes was observed. Sex specific variations in pupal weight and wing length were noted in both species of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. The wing length of adult Aedes mosquitoes showed correspondence with pupal weight suggesting the use of pupal weight can be used as indicator of prospective adult body size. Although less known as container breeding, presence of An. subpictus and Cx. quinquefascistus along with Aedes indicates that availability of waste containers in environment increases risks of dengue and other mosquito borne diseases. The present habitat-based study calls for a strict vector management strategy to reduce the sources of ovipostion in various container habitats to minimize the mosquito vectors and thus potential risk of dengue and other mosquito borne diseases.