Abstract:
Research on the potency of arfak rainbowfish as a biocontrol of mosquito larvae was held in Fisheries Laboratory FPPIK, the Universitas Negeri Papua from August to November 2013. The aim of this study was to describe the potency of arfak rainbowfish as a biocontrol of mosquito larvae and compared it with two introduction fish species, Gambusia affinis and Aplocehilus panchax. All of the three species collected from Prafi River, Manokwari were acclimatized for one month in the laboratory. Male individuals were selected and grouped into four size classes according to body length. Three individuals were chosen to represent each species in each size class. Each individual was treated with mosquito larvae (stage IV instars and pupae) of 100 individuals separately, as well as 50 individual instars and pupae simultaneously. The level of predation and selectivity of both prey types was recorded, within 15-minute observation period. All of the three species showed levels of predation on instars and pupae increased with increasing body size. The level of predation on instars was higher than the pupae when the two treatment preys were treated separately. Fur-thermore, the predation level of arfak rainbowfish on instars and pupae higher than the other two fish species in all size classes, and also the relative degree of selectivity did not differ between the two types of prey in each size class. These results as well as other criteria, indicates M. arfakensis has potential as a biocontrol agent to mosquito larvae.
