Assessment of larval feeding efficiency of ornamental fishes for control of Aedes and Culex mosquitoes

Abstract

Current mosquito control strategies heavily rely on the use of non-specific insecticides, leading to adverse environmental effects. Therefore, adopting a more specific and biological approach, such as use of larvivorous fish for control of mosquito larvae, proves to be a sustainable alternative. The objective of this study is to find out the larvivory potential of five ornamental fish species namely Puntius tetrazona , Gymnocorymbus ternatzi , Danio rerio , Pethia conchonius and Poecilia sphenops . Among the studied species, Puntius tetrazona demonstrated a significantly higher mean consumption rate of mosquito larvae, indicating its pronounced larvivory potential. However, all the fish species showed a significant difference of consumption rate among different feed types. These results highlight the importance of these ornamental fishes in controlling mosquito populations, emphasizing their potential role in mosquito-borne disease management strategies.