Residual and outdoor mosquito distribution and abundance in some parts of Calabar urban, Nigeria

Mosquito is a vector of many human and animal diseases especially in the tropics. A study of the indoor and outdoor distribution and abundance in Calabar was conducted between May and August, 2011. A total of 142 mosquitoes collected showed a composition of Aedes aegypti, Ae vittatus, Ae domesticus, Ae simpsoni, Ae metalicus, Ae leutocephalis, Ae africanus, Ae taylori, Anopheles gambiae, An. maculipenis, An. rupites, An. Coustani, Culex quinquefaciatus, Cx annuloris, Cx tigripes, Cx decens. Abundance from the four study areas sampled were Bateba 23.02%, Goldie 23.31%, Uwanse 23.87% and Unical hostels 29.79%. More mosquitoes were collected outdoor, 71.13% than indoor, 28.87% and a higher number was collected between 5pm–8pm than 5am–8am. Mosquito distribution differed significantly between time of collection, sample location and the environments (P<0.05). It was observed that human induced environmental changes can have impact on the distribution of mosquito species and it was therefore concluded that mosquito is widely distributed in areas of poor sanitation levels and prevalence of standing water bodies for its breeding.