The aim of the present study was to determine the vertical distribution and abundance of Aedes mosquitoes in multiple storey buildings in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ovitrap surveillance was conducted for 4 continuous weeks in multiple storey buildings in 4 residential areas located in Selangor [Kg. Baiduri (KB)] and Kuala Lumpur [Student Hostel of University of Malaya (UM), Kg. Kerinchi (KK) and Hang Tuah (HT)]. The results implied that Aedes mosquitoes could be found from ground floor to highest floor of multiple storey buildings and data from different elevation did not show significant difference. Ovitrap index for UM, KB, HT and KK ranged from 0 - 29.17%, 0 - 55.56%, 8.33 - 83.33% and 0 - 91.17% respectively. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus were found breeding in HT, KK and KB; while only Ae. albopictus was obtained from UM. The results indicate that the invasion of Aedes mosquitoes in high-rise apartments could facilitate the transmission of dengue virus and new approaches to vector control in this type of residential area should be developed.
Surveillance of mosquitoes and their distribution in association with rainfall, relative humidity, and temperature were conducted in selected suburban and forested areas, namely, Sungai Penchala (Kuala Lumpur) and Taman Alam (Selangor) for 12 months. Armigeres kesseli was the most abundant species in Sungai Penchala while Aedes butleri was the most dominant species in Taman Alam. A positive correlation between mosquito distribution and rainfall was observed in selected mosquito species in Sungai Penchala (Armigeres kesseli, r = 0.75; Armigeres subalbatus, r = 0.62; and Aedes albopictus, r = 0.65) and Taman Alam (Armigeres sp, r = 0.59; Ae. butleri, r = 0.85; and Ae. albopictus, r = 0.62). However, no significant cor- relation was found either between selected mosquito species in both study areas and relative humidity or temperature. Results obtained suggested that vector control programs to be conducted based on temporal distribution of vectors in order to achieve beneficial outcomes with effective costing.
This study reported the ant species that were recovered from monkey carcasses in three different ecological habitats in Malaysia. The study was conducted from 9 May - 10 October 2007, 6 May - 6 August 2008 and 26 May - 14 July 2009 in forested area (Gombak, Selangor), coastal area (Tanjong Sepat, Selangor) and highland area (Bukit Cincin, Pahang), respectively. Monkey carcass was used as a model for human decomposition in this study. A total of 4 replicates were used in each of the study sites. Ants were observed to prey on eggs, larvae, pupae and newly emerged flies. This study found that ant species could be found at all stages of decomposition, indicating that ants were not a significant indicator for faunal succession. However, different species of ants were obtained from monkey carcasses placed in different ecological habitats. Cardiocondyla sp. was only found on carcasses placed in the coastal area; while Pheidole longipes, Hypoponera sp. and Pachycondyla sp. were solely found on carcasses placed in the highland area. On the other hand, Pheidologeton diversus and Paratrechina longicornis were found in several ecological habitats. These data suggests that specific ant species can act as geographic indicators for different ecological habitats in forensic entomology cases in Malaysia.