Medically important mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) identified in rural Barangay Binubusan, Lian, Batangas Province, Philippines

Larval mosquito collection was performed in Barangay Binubusan, Lian Municipality, Batangas Province during the last quarter of 2008 from October to December to determine the mosquito populations present in the area. Mosquito larvae were collected from various habitats, namely: rice paddy, sunny pond, open residential canal, shaded pond, and abandoned tire. A dichotomous key was devised for the identification of local mosquito fauna. A total of 1,128 mosquito larvae were collected during the study period, comprising 958 (84.93%) Culex, 125 (11.08%) Aedes, and 45 (3.99%) Anopheles. The highest larval collection was recorded in November consisting of 100% Culex spp. Five Culex species were identified: Culex quinquefasciatus (51.86%), Culex vishnui (14.0%), Culex tritaeniorhynchus (9.84%), Culex whitmorei (8.78%) and the first reported presence of Culex mimeticus (0.53%) in the country. Aedes species were represented by Aedes vexans (5.94%), Aedes aegypti (4.34%), and Aedes niveus (0.80%). Anopheline mosquitoes were represented only by Anopheles flavoristris (3.99%). Of the species identified, only Ae. aegypti and An. flavirostris have been documented of public health importance in the country