~ 119 ~ International Journal of Mosquito Research 2017; 4(4): 119-125 ISSN: 2348-5906 CODEN: IJMRK2 IJMR 2017; 4(4): 119-125 © 2017 IJMR Received: 15-05-2017 Accepted: 16-06-2017 Goselle ON Applied Entomology and Parasitology unit, Department of Zoology, University of Jos-Nigeria Amobi LO Applied Entomology and Parasitology unit, Department of Zoology, University of Jos-Nigeria Ojile JO Applied Entomology and Parasitology unit, Department of Zoology, University of Jos-Nigeria David A Applied Entomology and Parasitology unit, Department of Zoology, University of Jos-Nigeria Nanvyat N Applied Entomology and Parasitology unit, Department of Zoology, University of Jos-Nigeria Adulugba IA Applied Entomology and Parasitology unit, Department of Zoology, University of Jos-Nigeria Kumbak D Applied Entomology and Parasitology unit, Department of Zoology, University of Jos-Nigeria Udeh EO Applied Entomology and Parasitology unit, Department of Zoology, University of Jos-Nigeria Mbaya YA Applied Entomology and Parasitology unit, Department of Zoology, University of Jos-Nigeria Mafuyai HB Applied Entomology and Parasitology unit, Department of Zoology, University of Jos-Nigeria Correspondence Goselle ON Applied Entomology and Parasitology unit, Department of Zoology, University of Jos- Nigeria Abundance of Mosquitoes larvae in various microhabitats and the concern for invasion of human community Goselle ON, Amobi LO, Ojile JO, David A, Nanvyat N, Adulugba IA, Kumbak D, Udeh EO, Mbaya YA and Mafuyai HB Abstract A survey was conducted in five microhabitats of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State to determine the prevalence and abundance of mosquito larvae in ponds/streams closed to residential areas. The research goal was to describe the pattern of composition of mosquitoes dominated invertebrate communities and to test the abundance of different species of mosquitoes as a measure of identifying which area could be more prone to malaria disease infection if not well managed. The work composed of two questions about community composition and the species of invertebrates at sites: (1). How do the presence of a pond or stream/river near a community support the presence of larvae which is critical for understanding processes affecting adult population; (2). To ascertain if any differences in habitat gradients with populations and community composition of mosquitoes may be important for understanding disease transmission in different kinds of microhabitats which may aid in planning more effective vector control strategies. A breakdown from the collections conducted in the five microhabitats indicated that, of the 3, 110 larval stages collected over three different dates, more number of Anopheles species were recorded in the Tudun wada microhabitat than in other microhabitats. Coincidentally, it was also the area where an unidentified species of larvae were recorded. Fewer numbers of Aedes were collected as compared to the others. In consideration of the instars stages that were measured, it was recorded that more early instars were collected as compared to the late instars. This indicates oviposition is at a climax as compared to the survival of the larval stages. In conclusion, it could be inferred that there is a great invasion of mosquitoes in the human community which calls for a serious concern for governmental and non-governmental organizations to increase more funding to curtail health hazards that could come from mosquito bites. Keywords: Mosquitoes, ponds/streams, microhabitats, gradients, cues, Jos-Nigeria 1. Introduction Mosquitoes are members of the family Culicidae containing three sub-families namely: Anophelinae, Toxorhynchitinae and Culicinae (Delvin 2010) [1] . They have a world-wide distribution occurring in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate regions and inhabit both aquatic and terrestrial habitats (Dorothy 2010) [2] . They have been incriminated in the sole transmission of important human diseases including malaria, filariasis, yellow-fever, dengue fever etc (Belding 1942; El-Badry and Al-Ali 2010; Balakrishnan et al., 2011; Chakkaravarthy et al., 2011; Paulraj et al., 2011) [3, 4, 5, 6, 7] . These diseases have had serious negative impacts on the economic development as well as medical and social well-being of people living in their areas of prevalence (Amiruddin et al., 2012) [8] . The vectorial capacity of mosquitoes for the diseases they transmit is largely influenced by the intensity of larval production from breeding habitats (Depinay et al., 2004) [9] . These preferred breeding sites of the different mosquitoes and other environmental factors also affects their distribution and prevalence of diseases they transmit (de Souza et al., 2010). In essence, the study of the distribution and prevalence of mosquito larva in various breeding habitats should be carried out to create awareness of the possible diseases that are likely to affect a particular locality. Costanzo et al. (2005) have noted that one of the habitat mosquitoes used as breeding sites are tires found in peri-domestic areas which has greatly attracted attention, as their locations close to homes have been reported to have significant effect on human health.