Populations of mosquitoes were larger during the dry months. The mean monthly temperature below 30 C was most suitable for mosquitoes. There was a non-significant relationship between wind speed and mosquitoes.

Background: Mosquitoes are responsible for spreading devastating parasites and pathogens causing some important infectious diseases. The present study was done to better understand and update the fauna of Culicidae and to find out the distribution and the type of their larval habitats in Kashan County. Methods: This study was done in four districts of Kashan County (Central, Qamasr, Niasar and Barzok). Mosquito lar-vae were collected from 23 active larval habitats using a standard 350ml capacity mosquito dipper from April to late December 2019. The collected larvae were transferred to containers containing lactophenol, and after two weeks indi-vidually mounted in Berlese's fluid on a microscope slide and identified to species by morphological characters and valid keys. Results: In this study, a total of 9789 larvae were collected from urban and rural areas in Kashan County. The identified genera were Anopheles, Culiseta and Culex. In this study larvae of An. turkhudi, Cx. perexiguus, Cx. mimeticus, Cx. deserticola and Cs. subochrea were collected for the first time from Kashan County. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate the presence and activity of different mosquito species in Kashan County that some of them are vectors of arbovirus and other vector-borne diseases.

Background Due to the effect of synthetic and commercial insecticides on non-target organisms and the resistance of mosquitoes, non-chemical and environmentally friendly methods have become prevalent in recent years. The present study was to isolate entomopathogenic fungi with toxic effects on mosquitoes in natural larval habitats. Methods Larvae of mosquitoes were collected from Central, Qamsar, Niasar, and Barzok Districts in Kashan County, Central Iran by standard dipping method, from April to late December 2019. Dead larvae, live larvae showing signs of infection, and larvae and pupae with a white coating of fungal mycelium on the outer surface of their bodies were isolated from the rest of the larvae and sterilized with 10% sodium hypochlorite for 2 min, then washed twice with distilled water and transferred to potato-dextrose-agar (PDA) and water-agar (WA) media and incubated at 25 ± 2 °C for 3–4 days. Larvae and fungi were identified morphologically based on identification keys. Results A total of 9789 larvae were collected from urban and rural areas in Kashan County. Thirteen species were identified which were recognized to belong to three genera, including Anopheles (7.89%), Culiseta (17.42%) and Culex (74.69%). A total of 105 larvae, including Anopheles superpictus sensu lato (s.l), Anopheles maculipennis s.l., Culex deserticola, Culex perexiguus, and Culiseta longiareolata were found to be infected by Nattrassia mangiferae, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Trichoderma spp., and Penicillium spp. Of these, Penicillium spp. was the most abundant fungus isolated and identified from the larval habitats, while An. superpictus s.l. was the most infected mosquito species. Conclusions Based on the observations and results obtained of the study, isolated fungi had the potential efficacy for pathogenicity on mosquito larvae. It is suggested that their effects on mosquito larvae should be investigated in the laboratory. The most important point, however, is the proper way of exploiting these biocontrol agents to maximize their effect on reducing the population of vector mosquito larvae without any negative effect on non-target organisms.

BackgroundIran is under threat of a potential outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, Dengue fever, Chikungunya, and Zika. The study aimed to determine the efficiency and sustainability of some adult mosquito sampling methods for designing effective entomological surveillance systems in a malaria endemic area.MethodsDifferent rates of tap water, sugar, and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were mixed to provide CO2. Anopheles stephensi and Culex pipiens Bandar Abbas strains were reared in the insectary and used for tests. On a lab scale, CO2 orientation experiments were performed using a Y-tube olfactometer on the insectary mosquito strains. In the field trial, human landing catches (HLC), artificial pit shelter (APS), CO2-baited trap (CO2-BT), human and cow odor baited resting boxes (HOBT, COBT), cow urine baited trap (CUBT), and colored un-baited box (UB) were studied in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, south of Iran. Mean densities of An. stephensi and Cx. pipiens insectary strains, which oriented to CO2 as flowrate of 170, and 300 mL/minute was significantly higher compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The black un-baited inbox resting traps significantly more collected wild mosquito species compared to others colored UB (P ˂ 0.05). ResultsA total of 2722 collected mosquitoes comprises Culex pipiens (48.56%), Anopheles fluviatilis s.l.(14.21%), An. stephensi (11.68%), Cx. theileri (9.95%), Aedes caspius (7.01%), An. dthali (6.79%) An. culicifacies s.l. , An. pulcherrimus, An. sergentii,An. superpictus s.l., Cx. sitiens and, Ae.caspius less than 1%. Anopheles stephensi and, An.sergenti were most collected in CUBT. Anopheles fluviatilis s.l. and Ae. caspius were most found in HLC. Anopheles dthali, Cx. pipiens and, Cx. theileri were most abundant in APS. ConclusionsBlack CUBT and APS methods can be suggested as a perfect sampling strategy for malaria vectors surveillance. APS, and HLC methods were found useful to entomological surveillance systems for arboviral and filarial vector-borne diseases. Further modified sampling methods should be devoted to identify more effective sampling methods.

Background Iran is under threat of a potential outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, Dengue fever, Chikungunya, and Zika. The study aimed to determine the efficiency and sustainability of some adult mosquito sampling methods for designing effective entomological surveillance systems in a malaria endemic area. Methods Different rates of tap water, sugar, and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were mixed to provide CO2. Anopheles stephensi and Culex pipiens Bandar Abbas strains were reared in the insectary and used for tests. On a lab scale, CO2 orientation experiments were performed using a Y-tube olfactometer on the insectary mosquito strains. In the field trial, human landing catches (HLC), artificial pit shelter (APS), CO2-baited trap (CO2-BT), human and cow odor baited resting boxes (HOBT, COBT), cow urine baited trap (CUBT), and colored un-baited box (UB) were studied in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, south of Iran. Mean densities of An. stephensi and Cx. pipiens insectary strains, which oriented to CO2 as flowrate of 170, and 300 mL/minute was significantly higher compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The black un-baited inbox resting traps significantly more collected wild mosquito species compared to others colored UB (P ˂ 0.05). Results A total of 2722 collected mosquitoes comprises Culex pipiens (48.56%), Anopheles fluviatilis s.l.(14.21%), An. stephensi (11.68%), Cx. theileri (9.95%), Aedes caspius (7.01%), An. dthali (6.79%) An. culicifacies s.l., An. pulcherrimus, An. sergentii,An. superpictus s.l., Cx. sitiens and, Ae.caspius less than 1%. Anopheles stephensi and, An.sergenti were most collected in CUBT. Anopheles fluviatilis s.l. and Ae. caspius were most found in HLC. Anopheles dthali, Cx. pipiens and, Cx. theileri were most abundant in APS. Conclusions Black CUBT and APS methods can be suggested as a perfect sampling strategy for malaria vectors surveillance. APS, and HLC methods were found useful to entomological surveillance systems for arboviral and filarial vector-borne diseases. Further modified sampling methods should be devoted to identify more effective sampling methods.