Predominance of Aedes albopictus in the breeding habitats of Siliguri Sub-division of Darjeeling District, West Bengal, India

Abstract

To determine the predominant dengue mosquito vector from the Siliguri sub-division of Darjeeling district, a field survey conducted and results showed that Ae. albopictus (804 out of 886) was relatively more abundant than Ae. aegypti (2 out of 886) in natural and artificial containers. The results from the installed ovitraps also indicated Ae. albopictus (1434 out of 1490) as dominant species in the artificial containers than primary vector Ae. aegypti (2 out of 1490) in the shared breeding habitats. Larval density of Ae. albopictus was remarkably higher than that of Ae. aegypti in both the natural-artificial containers and ovitraps.