Analysis of the Culicid Fauna (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Swamps of the Town of Souk el Arbaa, Morocco

Abstract

The order Diptera and the suborder Nematocera include blood-sucking insects known as Culicidae.They are prominent either because they act as vectors for pathogenic organisms of certain species or due to the nuisance they cause.To better understand the habitat of these mosquitoes in the Souk El Arbaa region (north of Rabat), monitoring of certain physico-chemical parameters was conducted from February 2012 to September 2013.This was aimed at providing information on the optimal conditions for larval development and the factors that restrict them.The waters in the two city swamps show very similar results from the physicochemical analysis, but the Mda River waters seem to be much more contaminated.Mosquitoes appear to be drawn to waters high in organic matter and ammoniacal nitrogen, which causes them to proliferate and grow quickly in the area.In a similar vein, temperature is a major factor in mosquito growth acceleration.The systematic study of Culicidae collected from the various sites surveyed in Souk-El Arbaa revealed the presence of 5 species belonging to the genus: Culex (Culex pipiens, Culex theileri, Culex prexiguus, Culex impudicus and culex quinquefasciatus).The bioecological study indicates that the inventoried population is diverse.The most abundant species are respectively Culex pipiens, Culex theileri, Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex prexiguus.It is essential to note that certain physico-chemical parameters favor the development of larvae and the proliferation of mosquitoes, while others limit it.