Adult mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) species distribution and abundance in northern Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s glaciated landscape has produced ideal habitats for many types of mosquitoes because it contains an abundance of depressions that hold water where marshes, swamps, bogs, and lakes have formed. The last comprehensive survey of northern Wisconsin mosquitoes was done in 1967 by Siverly and DeFoliart. Since then, several species of non-native mosquitoes have been introduced to the United States, including the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, and the rock pool mosquito, Ochlerotatus japonicas, which was recorded for the first time in Wisconsin in 2007. Other factors that can influence mosquito species distribution and abundance in Wisconsin are steadily increasing winter temperatures and man-made changes in environment (e.g., urbanization and changes in water management). This research was designed to determine the current mosquito species distribution and abundance in northern Wisconsin. Four areas in northern Wisconsin were identified for sampling; sites were located in the northeast, north central, northwest, and far northwest Wisconsin. Four habitats were selected for sampling at each of the four sites, and adult mosquitoes were sampled on a rotation between the four habitats throughout the biting period in 2009 using CDC miniature light traps baited with CO2. At one site – in north central Wisconsin – 456 mosquitoes were collected and were distributed among 6 genera and 19 species. Mosquito species distribution, abundance, and seasonal activity will be presented for all habitats at all four sites.