Abstract

Mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) of eleven important hydrosystems in the plain of the gharb and rabat-sale cities (Morocco): Species richness, geographic distribution, and density evolution

Author(s): Hafida Allami, Mostafa Slim, Ebrahim Al Washali, Sara Sassa, Rhita Kourradi, Mohamed Fadli

This work is interested in a qualitative and quantitative study of mosquito larvae (Diptera, Culicidae) in tenmajor aquatic systems located in the Gharb plain and the urban area of the city of Rabat /Salé in Morocco. Thus, we have elaborated an inventory of species, their frequency, the evolution of their densities and their geographical distribution. The results show that the settlement of the Culicidae Diptera is formed by 13 species. However, this richness varies locally depending on the hydrosystem heterogeneity and the physcochemical characteristics of the environment. Thus, the biotops that are ecologically more hétrogènes have shown the higher richness in species.Also, the frequency was not the same for all harvested species. Anopheles labranchiae and Culex pipiens were the most common species, while Culiseta subochrea was collected in a single Biotop. Moreover, depending on the species and the aquatic systems, the first appearance of larvae may be in the fall, winter or spring. The density varies with the species. So, Culex pipiens and Ochlerotatus detritus have high densities. Unlike Culex hortensis and Culex impudicus have shown low densities. Similarly, depending on the species, the évolution of the density may show a single or several density peaks.