Biodiversity and distribution of larvae of the genus Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Gharb Region: Case of the Province of Sidi Slimane, Morocco

Abstract

Mosquitoes play an important role in the transmission of many diseases as vectors of several pathogens: viral, parasitic, etc. which cause health problems to humans and even animals. The analysis of the specific composition of Culicidae in the different larval sites of the province of Sidi Slimane shows first of all that each habitat has a particular faunistic characteristic. Indeed, six species of the Culicinae family were inventoried during the 2018 hydrological cycle in the different larval sites surveyed: Culex pipiens, Culex hortensis, Culex theileri, Culex modestus, Culex brempti, Culex laticinctus. The geographical distribution of these species differs according to the requirements of each species. The physico-chemical, pedological, faunistic, floristic… etc. parameters of each environment play an important role in the biodiversity of this fauna, which explains the differences in specific richness of each larval biotope.