Male and Female Rosy Barb Fish (Pethia conchonius) Predation Time Against Aedes aegypti Mosquito Larva and Pupa Stage in the Morning

Abstract

Introduction: The control program for Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) outbreaks prioritizes controlling the mosquito vector population. One way of biologically controlling mosquitoes that is safer and more environmentally friendly is fish as natural predators of larval and pupae stage mosquitoes. One fish tested in this study was Rosy Barb (Pethia conchonius). Objective: This study aimed to compare the male and female fish predation ability of rosy barb (P. conchonius) in Aedes aegypti larval and pupal stages. Methods: This study is a laboratory experiment with a post-test-only design and five replications. One aquarium holds one litre of water, one fish, and 25 Ae. aegypti larvae/pupa. The test begins at 09.00 WIB in the morning. The ended when fish finished consuming all larvae and pupae. Results: The mean time of predation of male P. conchonius to larvae was 12.03 minutes, and pupae were 2.83 minutes. The mean time of predation of female P. conchonius on larvae was 11.70 minutes, and pupae were 4.28 minutes. The results of the independent sample t-test showed that male and female fish had mosquito larvae feeding times that were not significantly different (p> 0.05). Male and female fish had mosquito pupa feeding times that were not significantly different (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Male and female Rosy barb fish have the same average feeding time for larvae and pupae. Key words: Aedes aegypti, Pethia conchonius, Male fish, Female fish, Larvae, Pupae