ABSTRACT
Objective:To evaluate the larvicidal, ovicidal and repellent properties of solvent extracts of marine spongeCliona celata(C. celata)(Grant) against the malarial vectorAnopheles stephensi(An. stephensi)Liston.Methods:Marine spongeC. celata was thoroughly washed with distilled water and shade dried for48 h.Then the sponges were homogenized and extracted sequentially with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol.Larvicidal and ovicidal activities were tested at four different concentrationsviz.,62.5,125.0,250.0 and500.0 ppm.For repellent study extracts were taken in three different concentrationsviz.,5.0,2.5,1.0 mg/cm2 at.Results:Among the three solvent extracts ofC. celata, methanol extract showed the highest larvicidal activity at500 ppm against the fourth instar larvae ofAn. stephensi.TheLC50andLC90 values ofC. celata methanol extract were recorded as80.61 and220.81 ppm againstAn. stephensi larvae respectively.High ovicidal activity of91.2% was recorded at500 ppm concentration of methanol extract.The haxane extract was found to be the most effective protectant against the adult female mosquitoes ofAn. stephensi. The mean protection time recorded in hexane extract was up to245 min at5 mg/cm2 dosage againstAn. stephensi adults.Conclusions:The screening results suggest that the hexane and methanol extracts ofC. celata are promising in mosquito control.Considering these bioactivities,C. celata could be probed further to obtain some novel pesticidal molecules.