title: An easy field method for estimating the abundance of culicid larval instars.
abstract: A new method is proposed that avoids manual counting of mosquito larvae in order to estimate larval abundance in the field. This method is based on the visual comparison between abundance, in a standardized sampling tray (called an abacus), with 5 (abacus 5) or 10 (abacus 10) diagrammatically prepared abundance classes. Accuracy under laboratory and field conditions and individual bias have been evaluated and both abaci provide a reliable estimation of abundance in both conditions. There is no individual bias, whether people are familiar or not with its use. They could also be used for a quick estimation of larval treatment effectiveness, for the study of population dynamics and spatial distribution.
authors.affiliation: Entente Interdépartementale pour la Démoustication du Littoral Méditerranéen, 165, avenue Paul Rimbaud, 34184 Montpellier Cedex 4, France.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carron
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duchet
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gaven
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lagneau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009033:Culicidae; D004772:Entomology / Q000379:methods; D007814:Larva; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics