Species composition and characterization of Anopheline mosquito breeding habitats in Jos- South and Shendam Local Government areas of Plateau State, Nigeria

Mosquitoes play a critical role as agents of disease transmission, particularly where the abundance of breeding habitats supports their proliferation. Understanding the ecology of these vectors is crucial in assessing the potential risk of human exposure to the diseases they transmit and in controlling them. In this study, larvae of Anopheles mosquitoes were collected using the dip method from different habitats in Shendam and Jos-South Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Plateau State, Nigeria. Water physicochemical parameters were measured on-site using a handheld multi-parameter device. The larvae were reared to adults and identified using standard identification keys. Five breeding habitats, namely gutters, rain pools, rice fields, hoof prints, and puddles, were characterized, and their physicochemical parameters were analyzed. Overall, 2,513 larvae were reared to emergence as adults, with Anopheles gambiae as the dominant species, 1,279 (50.90%), and Anopheles pretoriensis, 175(6.95%) (p<0.001), the least collected species of the four Anopheline species encountered. The most abundant larval habitats were rice fields in Shendam LGA (51.09%) and rain pools in Jos South LGA (43.13%) (p<0.001). The water quality parameters analyzed showed a negative correlation with mosquito abundance. The R-squared value indicates that about 65.22% variation in mosquito abundance is accounted for by the water physicochemical parameters: temperature, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, and salinity. However, the variation was not significant, F (5, 6) = 2.25, p = 0.1759. For effective larval source management, initial risk mapping of mosquito breeding sites, combined with improved knowledge of vector ecology and their interactions with humans, should be prioritized to inform interventions against these vectors.