Mosquito fauna in the Nature Observation Park in Saitama Prefecture (2014～2019）

Abstract

The species composition of mosquito fauna was examined using CDC traps at the Nature Observation Park in Saitama Prefecture from 2014 to 2019. A total of 5,059 adult mosquitoes belonging to 15 species in 8 genera were collected in this study. These 15 species were considered to be the current mosquito fauna in the Nature Observation Park of Saitama Prefecture. The number of mosquitoes collected in 2018 was the smallest in this study; we hypothesized that this was due to higher-than-average temperatures from May to August of that year. In addition, the numbers of Aedes bekkui and Armigeres subalbatus increased in 2016. It was presumed that one of the causes was a temporary heavy rain in the summer. In this 6-year park survey, Ae. albopictus accounted for the highest percentage, at 28.2% of the total mosquito species, though Culex pipiens complex was the dominant group in previous surveys in Saitama Prefecture. The forest was closed and could not be investigated, but it was presumed that Ae. albopictus would be found in the tree hollows and surrounding areas on the east part of the forest because the density of female Ae. albopictus was high near that area. The larvae of Cx. pipiens complex were captured in a small waterway near the forest, but no other mosquito larva were found there.