Environmental dynamics and seasonal wing physiological changes of coastal mosquito vectors (Diptera: Culicidae) in Central Thailand

• Published in: Journal of Asia-Pacific entomology Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 102228 - 11
• Main Authors: Abdulloh, Arina, Laojun, Sedthapong, Wichit, Sineewanlaya, Mariela Saba Villarroel, Paola, Chaiphongpachara, Tanawat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.06.2024; 한국응용곤충학회
• Subjects: adults; Anopheles epiroticus; Coastal mosquito; coasts; Culex sitiens; dissolved oxygen; entomology; Environmental health; Environmental impact; Geometric morphometrics; geometry; larvae; morphometry; nitrate nitrogen; phosphates; Public health sciences; rain; relative humidity; species; Thailand; water quality; wind speed; 농학; Thailand; Anopheles epiroticus; Geometric morphometrics; Public health sciences; Environmental health; Coastal mosquito; Culex sitiens; Environmental impact
• ISSN: 1226-8615; 1876-7990
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aspen.2024.102228

[Display omitted] •Seasonal fluctuations observed in the larval densities of coastal mosquito species Anopheles epiroticus and Culex sitiens in Central Thailand.•Certain water quality factors and meteorological parameters in coastal areas influence mosquito vector populations.•Geometric morphometric analysis reveals significant seasonal wing shape variations in both species, highlighting their adaptation to coastal environmental conditions. Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are small hematophagous insects that serve as disease vectors by transmitting pathogens to humans and animals. This study was conducted on the coastline of Samut Songkhram Province in Thailand's central region to evaluate the impact of environmental factors on coastal mosquitoes, namely Anopheles epiroticus and Culex sitiens. A zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression was employed to assess the relationship between the density of larval mosquitoes and water quality factors. Spearman's rank correlation was used to examine the relationship between the number of adult mosquitoes and meteorological factors, and the geometric morphometric (GM) technique was used to study the wing size and shape of adult mosquitoes throughout different seasons. The ZINB analysis revealed a significant negative relationship (p < 0.05) between dissolved oxygen, high-range phosphate, and the number of An. epiroticus larvae. Conversely, in the case of Cx. sitiens, there was a significant positive relationship between nitrate-nitrogen and larval density (p < 0.01), while dissolved oxygen exhibited a significant negative relationship (p < 0.05). Regarding adult mosquitoes, relative humidity was positively correlated with the abundance of adult Cx. sitiens (r = 0.85, p < 0.01), whereas each meteorological parameter—temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed, and atmospheric pressure—was negatively correlated with adult An. epiroticus abundance (p < 0.05 for each). The GM analysis revealed statistically significant seasonal variations in wing shapes for both species (p < 0.05 for all seasonal comparisons), underscoring their adaptation to seasonal environmental conditions in coastal habitats.