Feeding Habitats of Mosquito Larvae and their Gut Flora at Mysore

Algae are important food sources for aquatic insects including mosquitoes. Eight mosquito species were collected in and around Mysore city in order to examine the gut contents of the larvae. A total of sixty five species of algae were identified from different larval habitats of mosquito larvae, out of which 55 were encountered in the larval guts. From these algal species identified in the larval gut, 21 (38.18%) belonged to Bacillariophyceae, 12 (21.8%) to Chlorophyceae, 9 (16.36%) to Cyanophyceae, 7 (12.72%) to Desmidaceae and 6 (10.9%) to Euglenophyceae. From the larval breeding sources, out of the 65 identified species, 26 (40%) belonged to Bacillariophyceae, 16 (24.6%) to Chlorophyceae, 10 (15.3%) to Cyanophyceae, 7 (10.76%) to Desmidaceae and 6 (9.2%) to Euglenophyceae. Identification of food sources and their importance to larval development and survival is particularly relevant to the development of novel vector control methods, especially in the study area where malaria, chikungunya and dengue are endemic.