New Jersey is home to 64 endemic and introduced species of mosquitoes that have larvae evolved to occupy specific aquatic habitats ranging from the salt marshes of the coastal plane to the snow pools of the state’s highest elevations. However, only a fraction of these species pose a nuisance or disease threat to humans or our livestock. This means that understanding the unique habitats of mosquito species is essential for targeting control of nuisance mosquitoes, or more importantly those that vector disease. This knowledge minimizes the cost and harm to human and environmental health related to overuse of control measures such as dredging and pesticide application.
New Jersey lies in one of the most species diverse regions of the northeastern United States owing mainly to its varied physiography, geology, and glacial history. This has resulted in a variety of aquatic habitats with unique ecologies and species compositions. In addition, each of NJ’s five physiographic provinces remained partially unglaciated during the last ice age resulting in an array of habitats that served as some of the northernmost refugia for many organisms. The map below illustrates NJ’s rich geology, the position of each physiographic province, and the boundary of the late Wisconsinian glacier which covered much of northern NJ during the last ice age. Human land use patterns and alterations to the natural environment have also created many additional mosquito habitats in NJ from polluted standing water to discarded tires and bottle caps. In general, care should be taken not to favor the proliferation of mosquito populations by disturbing the natural ecologic balance. This webpage is the result of my continuing effort to describe the various mosquito habitats of New Jersey in order to enhance training of mosquito control professionals through increased knowledge of the state’s unique physiography and biodiversity.
Diana Carle, PhD 