A Study of Mosquito Species Diversity Comparing UNIMAS Forested Area and Kampung Endap Cultivated Area, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak.

Mosquitoes (Order: Diptera; Family: Culicidae) are considered as one of the most relevant groups of arthropods in the public health field. There are three types of subfamilies; Anophelinae, Culicinae and Toxorhynchitinae. This study aimed to determine the species richness and diversity of mosquitoes at Kampung Endap cultivated area and UNIMAS forested area, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak. Sampling was done for eight-day period for each sampling site and mosquito specimens were collected by using mosquito net. A total of 1252 mosquitoes were caught from the two study sites. A total of 19 species of mosquitoes belonging to five genera (i. e. Aedes, Anopheles, Mansonia, Culex, and Toxorhynchites) were recorded at Kampung Endap cultivated area whereas a total of 12 species of mosquitoes belonging to six genera (i. e. Aedes, Anopheles, Armigeres, Culex, Toxorhynchites and Culex) were recorded at UNIMAS forested area. The most common species found at both sampling area were Aedes aegypti, and A. albopictus; while the dominant genera recorded were Aedes, Culex, and Toxorhynchites. The medically important mosquitoes such as Aedes, Anopheles, Culex, and Mansonia were also found at both sampling sites. Although Shannon and Simpson diversity indices calculated for mosquito species were higher at UNIMAS forested area compared to Kampung Endap cultivated area, the differences were not significant (Zar t-test). Mosquito evenness at both sampling sites was also comparable