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Composition, seasonal abundance, and public health importance of mosquito species in the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece

  • Arthropods and Medical Entomology - Original Paper
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Abstract

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are the largest group of blood-feeding insects that disturb not only humans but also other mammals and birds. This study reports the presence of native mosquito species in the regional unit of Thessaloniki and the monitoring of their population. In total, 13 mosquito species belonging to four genera were identified. The most dominant species was Culex pipiens, followed by Aedes caspius. In the present study, we report for the first time the presence of Ae. vittatus in Greece and of Anopheles plumbeus in the regional unit of Thessaloniki. Regarding the seasonal variation, species of the genus Aedes were the ones that first appeared in late March, followed by Culex species at the end of April and finally species of the genus Anopheles in July. Species of the Aedes genus were found to be the most abundant in the first quarter of the year (late March to early April). Population of Cx. pipiens remained at high levels from late April to late September. Species of the genus Anopheles were found in high densities from early August to October. The current study contributes to the knowledge of the mosquito species composition and their relative abundance in an area where West Nile virus caused severe epidemic outbreaks.

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks are due to Dr Antonios Michaelakis, Head Research Scientist in Benaki Phytopathological Institute, for his useful comments and suggestions.

Funding

This project was financially supported for postdoctoral studies (SSA) by the Research Committee of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2012).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Applied Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Christos G. Spanoudis, Christos S. Pappas & Matilda Savopoulou-Soultani

  2. Hellenic Agricultural Organization Dimitra, Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, 57001, Thermi, Greece

    Stefanos S. Andreadis

Authors
  1. Christos G. Spanoudis
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  2. Christos S. Pappas
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  3. Matilda Savopoulou-Soultani
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  4. Stefanos S. Andreadis
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Correspondence to Stefanos S. Andreadis.

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Spanoudis, C.G., Pappas, C.S., Savopoulou-Soultani, M. et al. Composition, seasonal abundance, and public health importance of mosquito species in the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece. Parasitol Res 120, 3083–3090 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-021-07264-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-021-07264-y

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