Relative abundance of adult female anopheline mosquitoes in Ugah, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

A study on the relative abundance of malaria vectors was investigated in Ugah, Nasarawa state, Nigeria between January and December 2004. A total of 2,276 mosquitoes were collected. The mosquitoes comprise three species - Anopheles gambiae sl, Anopheles funestus and Anopheles ardensis. Of the anophelines, Anopheles gambiae sl is the most abundant that is, 1087(47.76%) followed by Anopheles funestus and Anopheles ardensis with abundances of 863(37.92%) and 326(14.32%) respectively. Female anophelines were 1,670(73.37%). There was a significant difference in the relative abundance of mosquitoes with respect to season (P < 0.05). A number of factors (awareness, culture, proximity to water bodies) appear to be responsible for the abundance of the mosquitoes. The result suggests that concerted efforts should be made by stakeholders at reducing the abundance of malaria vectors in the rural areas in order to prevent outbreak. Key words: Relative abundance, mosquitoes, Anopheles gambiae sl, Anopheles funestus, Anopheles ardensis.