# Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Mosquito Species (Culicidae) in a Ramsar Site, Fetzara Lake (Annaba, Algeria)

## TL;DR

This study examines how mosquito species in a wetland in Algeria change across different locations and seasons, finding that Culex pipiens is the most common species.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the spatiotemporal variation of mosquito communities in a Ramsar site in Algeria.

## Key findings

- Culex pipiens dominated the mosquito samples, making up 74.3% of all collected specimens.
- Mosquito species richness and diversity varied significantly across different sites and seasons.
- Environmental conditions such as water quality and vegetation likely influence mosquito community composition.

## Abstract

The distribution of mosquitoes can vary in space and time, even within the same wetland. In this study, we monitored mosquito diversity in a protected wetland in Northeast Algeria (Fetzara Lake) to understand how mosquito communities vary across different sites within the wetland and seasons. We conducted monthly mosquito sampling for two years (April 2021–March 2023) from four sites within the lake. We identified seven mosquito species, including the Culex pipiens (common vector of West Nile virus) and Aedes aegypti (common vector of dengue and Zika). Culex pipiens dominated our samples (74.3%), while Aedes aegypti was rare. We found differences in the diversity between sites and across seasons. The spatial difference likely reflected local differences in environmental conditions (e.g., water quality, vegetation). Overall diversity was similar in both years. Our findings reveal that mosquito communities can markedly vary within the same wetland across space and seasons, highlighting the need for targeted mosquito control in areas where disease-carrying species are most common.

Mosquito community composition can differ spatially and temporally within the same wetlands. Understanding this spatiotemporal variation is crucial, particularly in wetlands of conservation importance. Here, we examine the diversity and community composition of Culicidae (Diptera) across four sites within Fetzara Lake, a large Ramsar site in Northeast Algeria. For two years, we conducted monthly field surveys across four sites (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest) from April 2021 to March 2023. During these surveys, we used ovitraps to sample mosquitoes and assess species richness as well as alpha and beta diversity. We identified seven mosquito species (Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, Ae. geniculatus, An. labranchiae, Culex perexiguus, Cx. pipiens, and Cs. longiareolata). There was a clear dominance of Culex pipiens (Usutu and West Nile virus vector), which accounted for 74.3% of all samples, whereas Aedes aegypti was the least abundant (<1%). Species richness varied between five and six across sites. The Shannon index and beta diversity revealed significant variation in species diversity across sites and seasons, likely driven by local differences in environmental conditions. This study emphasizes the importance of local variation in environmental conditions in shaping ecological communities in space and time.