Biological control agent for mosquito larvae: Review on the killifish, Aphanius dispar dispar (Rppel, 1829)

Abstract

This review attempts to give an account on the recent advances on the killifish Aphanius dispar dispar as a biological control agent for mosquito larvae. Thirty six (36) articles of literature (scientific papers, technical and workshop reports) on this subject covering the period between 1980 and 2009 were reviewed. The larviciding process by using chemicals to control mosquitoes in the past resulted in a very harmful effects on the environment (bioaccumulation of DDT), resistance of mosquito vectors, destruction of non-target organisms and human health hazards. Biological control of mosquito larvae by using fish has shown many advantages over chemicals, but exogenous fishes such as Gambusia affinis may have negative effects on fishes and destroy the local habitat. Eco-friendly indigenous larvivorous fish with less harm to the environment and the local fish fauna is suitable for biological control of mosquito larvae. Furthermore, A. dispar is capable of natural and artificial reproduction to maintain a fish stock in order to eliminate mosquito larvae and protect people from many mosquito borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, rift valley fever (RVF), encephalitis and many others (Suliman, 2010). Hence, the indigenous killifish, A. dispar is found to play this role effectively and efficiently. Problems associated with its artificial breeding and fungal infection of its eggs can be further investigated. In addition to this, integrated methods of biological control should be carried out in order to reach the best targets of mosquito control.

Histomicroscopy and normal anatomy of the adult killifishAphanius hormuzensis(Teleostei; Aphaniidae) from the Persian Gulf coastal environment

“…Beside its high tolerance to ecological changes, A. hormuzensis possesses regeneration capacity in the caudal fin (Zeinali & Motamedi, 2017, as A. dispar). Moreover, A. hormuzensis and its relatives are particularly suitable to be used as biological control of mosquito larvae (Al-Akel & Suliman, 2011;Haq & Srivastava, 2013). They would be good candidates in order to eliminate mosquito larvae from the environments and consequently to remove the mosquito borne diseases such as dengue, and rift valley fever (Al-Akel & Suliman, 2011).…”

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“…Plants are the primary source of essential oils, which are used as natural repellents. Essential oils are substances found in several odoriferous plants that are volatile [40,41] . The concentrated hydrophobic liquid has a volatile scent and is derived from different plant sections [23] .…”

“…It has been determined that the utilisation of larvivorous fish is a more effective strategy in comparison to the utilisation of chemical control [67] . They are able to be utilised due to the fact that they have a lower risk of mosquito resistance, an inexpensive production process, are safe for both humans and wildlife, and are administered in low dosages [41] . When utilising larval fish, there are two major considerations that need to be taken into account.…”

A systematic review on different aspect for mosquito management

“…Plants are the primary source of essential oils, which are used as natural repellents. Essential oils are substances found in several odoriferous plants that are volatile [40,41] . The concentrated hydrophobic liquid has a volatile scent and is derived from different plant sections [23] .…”