Effects of Hurricane Irma on mosquito abundance and species composition in a metropolitan gulf coastal city, 2016-2018

Abstract Mosquitoes are the most common disease vectors worldwide. Rainfall variability and the frequency of rainfall events might be important factors influencing environmental conditions, the mosquito life cycle and mosquito population dynamics, particularly post storming events. We examined mosquito abundance and species composition before and after Hurricane Irma in Miami, Dade County, Florida, and identified which mosquito species predominated post-Hurricane Irma according to trap type. Our results showed that more mosquitoes (7.3 and 8.0 times more) were captured in 2017 than at baseline (2016 and 2018). The responses of different mosquito species to the possible effects of Hurricane Irma varied: in BG-Sentinel traps, 3 of the 13 species (Aedes tortills, Culex nigripalpus and Culex quinquefasciatus) and in CDC light traps, 7 of the 20 species (Aedes tortills, Anopheles atropos, Anopheles crucians, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, Culex erraticus, Culex nigripalpus, and Psorophora columbiae) dominated pre-post Hurricane Irma. The risk factors for mosquito abundance were population density, rainfall, and temperature. This may further our understanding of the relationships between the amount of rainfall and other underlying factors affecting mosquito abundance.