SPECIES COMPOSITION OF MOSQUITOES COLLECTED WITH OVITRAPS IN HAMILTON AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA, USA

Mosquito sampling in both urban and rural areas leads to a better understanding of mosquito species diversity. Sampling is also essential to determine the presence of vectors able to transmit disease-causing pathogens. To study mosquito species richness in central Indiana (Hamilton County) and southern Indiana (Monroe County), we used ovitraps for the collection of larvae typically found in tree holes. We collected a total of 1,013 mosquitoes from 4 locations and 71 ovitraps. This study had a total of 1,493 ovitrap wk, calculated as the number of ovitraps multiplied by the number of wk each ovitrap was deployed. Ovitraps were deployed for 7 to 26 weeks with the first ovitraps being deployed on September 13, 2023, and the last ovitraps being removed on October 31, 2024. Aedes spp. accounted for 92.3% of the total larvae collected. We found the following species: Ae. albopictus, Ae. hendersoni, Ae. japonicus, Ae. triseriatus, Anopheles barberi, Culex pipiens, Orthopodomyia signifera, and Toxorhynchites rutilus. Aedes triseriatus was the most common species collected (n = 451, 45.7% of samples) and the least common species collected was An. barberi (n = 1). Analysis using species accumulation curves indicated comprehensive sampling of species. The Sørensen index of dissimilarity showed two clusters, one associated with forested environments and the other with urbanized and rural landscapes. We collected most mosquito species that have been reported in tree holes sampled across the US Midwest.