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Morphometric diagnosis of the effects of water hardness on development of immature life stages and adult vectorial fitness of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquito

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Abstract

In the present study, we elucidated the effects of different water hardness regimens on life stages of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito using the techniques of morphometry. Five water hardness regimens (0, 30, 90, 150 and 210 mg/L CaCO3) were prepared following standard protocols, and freshly hatched larvae reared in them until adulthood. Measurements were made for the lengths and widths of larval head capsule, thorax, abdomen, siphon, antennae, and anal papillae. Other parts measured include pupal trumpet, cephalothorax, and total immature body lengths, adult abdominal and wing parameters, volumes of fourth instar larvae and adult mosquitoes. Analyses revealed significant effects of water hardness on all body parts measured. The present study shows that water hardness levels significantly affect the morphometrics of Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquito, and could affect immature growth and development, and adult fitness attributes. It also reveals that moderately hard water are the best for overall fitness and performance of the species. The information generated from this study is important in understanding the interplay between water hardness and mosquito development.

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Acknowledgements

Our deepest appreciation goes to the Management and Staff members of the Department of Animal Biology, Federal University of Technology, for all assistance rendered during the course of this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Entomology Unit, Department of Animal Biology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

    Azubuike Christian Ukubuiwe & Israel Kayode Olayemi

  2. Parasitology Unit, Department of Animal Biology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

    Innocent Chukwuemeka James Omalu

  3. Hydrobiology Unit, Department of Animal Biology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

    Francis Ofurum Arimoro

  4. Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

    Chinenye Catherine Ukubuiwe

Authors
  1. Azubuike Christian Ukubuiwe
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  2. Israel Kayode Olayemi
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  3. Innocent Chukwuemeka James Omalu
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  4. Francis Ofurum Arimoro
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  5. Chinenye Catherine Ukubuiwe
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Contributions

UAC, OIK, OICJ, and AFO conceived and designed the experiments; UAC and UCC performed the experiments; UAC, OIK, OICJ and AFO analyzed the data; OIK and AFO contributed tools; UAC and UCC wrote the first draft of the manuscript; OIK, OICJ and AFO corrected the draft copy. All AUTHORS agreed to the final state of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Azubuike Christian Ukubuiwe.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest. The founding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

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Ukubuiwe, A.C., Olayemi, I.K., Omalu, I.C.J. et al. Morphometric diagnosis of the effects of water hardness on development of immature life stages and adult vectorial fitness of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquito. Zoomorphology 137, 511–518 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-018-0415-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-018-0415-x

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