engleski

Effects of prolonged high water level on the mosquito fauna in Kopački rit Nature Park

Background and purpose: The flooded area of Kopački rit is an ideal location for the development of extremely large mosquito populations. Mosquitoes that breed in the flooded area migrate to different directions, so the status of Kopački rit as a breeding site can be felt by many inhabitants of the surrounding villages and towns, and especially in Osijek. Material and methods: The research reported here was conducted in 1999. Mosquitoes were sampled using the CDC method – traps with dry ice as an attractant. The traps were set once a month in four localities: Čonakut, Hordovanj, Kopačko lake and Tikveš ; and they operated for about 24 hours. The total of 13361 mosquitoes were caught. Results: The presence of 12 mosquito species has been recorded. In the Kopački rit flooded area itself the dominant species is Cx. modestus, with the share of 47% in the total number of mosquitoes recorded. A very high presence of An. messeae was also found (23%). The composition of the mosquito fauna in the Tikveš forest is considerably different, consisting of 65% of Ae. vexans, 12% of Cx. pipiens, and 11% of Oc. sticticus, which is much more similar to the previous situation in the mosquito fauna of the Kopački rit flooded area. Conclusions: If we compare research results obtained in the past few years with the ones from 1999, we may conclude that ecological conditions created by the high water level in the flooded area resulted in a different composition of the mosquito fauna, from the one recorded when the water level in the flooded area fluctuated.

mosquitoes; fauna; abundance; long term high water level; Kopački rit

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