DISTRIBUTION OF THE ANNULIPES GROUP (Diptera, Culicidae) OF EASTERN CROATIA

Intensive faunal mosquito research has been carried out in the area of Slavonia and Baranya since 1988. The annulipes group comprises mosquitoes characteristic of Palaearctic and Nearctic forests. Out of six mosquito species from the annulipes group registered in Croatia, only four have been found in Slavonia and Baranya. These are: Ochlerotatus cantans, Oc. riparius, Oc. excrucians and Oc. annulipes. This paper sums up the results of a19-year investigation into mosquito larvae of the annulipes group. The Oc. cantans species is the prevalent and most numerous of all the four species discussed in this paper. It has been registered in as many as 42 UTM quadrants, which confirms Oc. cantans to be a regular inhabitant of all the forests in Slavonia and Baranya. The other species are less evenly distributed, i.e. Oc. excrucians has been registered in 24 and Oc. annulipes in 7 UTM quadrants. The characteristic dissemination of the Oc. riparius species can be found only in the area of Spačva, i.e. south-eastern Slavonia, comprising 11 UTM quadrants