PREDATORY POTENTIAL OF Tilapia zillii(Gervais, 1848) ON MOSQUITO LARVAE: TOWARDS BIOCONTROL OF MOSQUITO-BORNE PARASITES

ABSTRACT

In control of mosquito-transmitted diseases, several techniques were put in place to alter the survivorship of the mosquitoes ranging from chemical control to genetic manipulation. Employing Prey – predator relationship in control otherwise biological control method needs more attention. Gambusia affinis, a fish commonly known to predate mosquito larvae, however this kind of fish is commonly found in the western world and Asia, and it is a fresh water fish and at times the habitat it lives does conformed survival of some mosquito species. This means that other fish species should be put in trial. In this study Tilapia zillii was tried on feeding of mosquito larvae because of its ability to share a similar habitat with more mosquito larvae than Gambusia affinis. It is also one of the commonest fishes found in Africa, Asia and the west. Two trials were made in this study involving single adult T. zillii. In the first trial, T.zillii was supplied with solely five hundred mosquito larvae which it ate in fifty minutes without break. After twenty four hours, a period for a complete digestion in the fish, the second trial was conducted in which five hundred mosquito larvae supplemented with 20g of fresh Earthworm were supplied to the same fish which it finished eating in two hours fifty six minutes with a break of twenty three minutes. From this study, it was observed that one adult T. zillii can eat ten larvae of mosquito in one minute without a food supplement hence it is efficient predator of mosquito larvae. It is therefore recommended that T. zilli can be introduced to where mosquito breeds for control purposes and a further research on predatory preference among different mosquito species larvae by T. zillii.

Keywords: Larvae, Mosquito, Predatory, Potential, Tilapia zillii