Abstract
Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) transmit several most important life-threatening infectious diseases worldwide, including Malaria, Encephalitis, Lymphatic Filariasis, West Nile Virus, Chikungunya, Yellow Fever, as well as Zika and Dengue Virus. This study examined the identity and distribution of larval and adult mosquito species in Zango Local Government Area, Katsina State, North-Western Nigeria. This is a descriptive cross sectional research that employed survey and laboratory practical to generate data. Four communities (Rogogo, Yardaje, Rindi and Zango) in the study area were randomly selected for the study. Eight houses were randomly selected from each community for entomological studies of indoor-biting and resting mosquitoes. Ladles/pipetting were used for collection of larvae in small ground pools, earthen pots and discarded tyres whereas dipping method was used to collect larvae in large breeding sites such as pond and dams. MS-Excel and Graph Pad Instat software were used for data analysis. Five hundred and thirty one (531) mosquito larvae and 785 adult mosquitoes were collected from 35 breeding sites and 32 households respectively. Majority of the larvae collected belong to the genus Anopheles with A. gambiae species accounting for 56.3%. The adult mosquito species collected were identified as: Anopheles gambiae (69.2%), Anopheles arabiensis (5.7%) and Anopheles funestus (4.5%), while non-malaria vectors were: Culex quinquefasciatus (14.4%) and Aedes aegypti (6.2%) respectively. This study provides a baseline data on the mosquito vector species (especially Anopheles) in the area. Proper environmental sanitation; proper sewage system, clearing bushes around the houses and any possible mosquito breeding sites are therefore, recommended.

Key words: Identity, Distribution, Mosquito, Malaria, Zango Local Government Area