Species Composition and Ecological Aspects of Immature Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Bromeliads in Urban Parks in the City of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Autor(es)

Ceretti-Junior, Walter ^[1] ; Christe, Rafael de Oliveira ^{[1, 2]} ; Rizzo, Marco ^[3] ; Strobel, Regina Claudia ^[3] ; de Matos Junior, Marco Otavio ^[4] ; Silva Homem de Mello, Maria Helena ^[4] ; Fernandes, Aristides ^[1] ; Medeiros-Sousa, Antnio Ralph ^[1] ; de Carvalho, Gabriela Cristina ^[1] ; Marrelli, Mauro Toledo ^{[1, 2]}

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Trop Med, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Dept Environm & Green Areas, Off Pk & Green Areas, Sao Paulo City Hall, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[4] Municipal Hlth Dept, Lab Res & Identificat Synanthrop Fauna, Zoonosis Control Ctr, Hlth Surveillance Coordinat Unit, Sao Paulo City Hall, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: JOURNAL OF ARTHROPOD-BORNE DISEASES; v. 10, n. 1, p. 102-112, MAR 2016.
• Citações Web of Science: 12

Resumo

Background: Bromeliads can be epiphytic, terrestrial or saxicolous and use strategies to allow water to be retained in their leaf axils, where various arthropods can be found. These include mosquitoes, whose larvae are the most abundant and commonly found organisms in the leaf axils. The objective of this study was to look for immature forms of mosquitoes (the larval and pupal stages) in bromeliads in municipal parks in Sao Paulo and to discuss the ecological and epidemiological importance of these insects. Methods: From October 2010 to July 2013, immature mosquitoes were collected from bromeliads in 65 municipal parks in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, using suction samplers. The immature forms were maintained until adult forms emerged, and these were then identified morphologically. Results: Two thousand forty-two immature-stage specimens belonging to the genera Aedes, Culex, Trichoprosopon, Toxorhynchites, Limatus and Wyeomyia were found in bromeliads in 15 of the 65 parks visited. Aedes albopictus was the most abundant species (660 specimens collected), followed by Culex quinquefasciatus (548 specimens) and Cx. (Microculex) imitator (444). The taxa with the most widespread distribution were Ae. aegypti and Toxorhynchites spp, followed by Ae. albopictus and Cx. quinquefasciatus. Conclusion: Bromeliads in urban parks are refuges for populations of native species of Culicidae and breeding sites for exotic species that are generally of epidemiological interest. Hence, administrators and surveillance and mosquito-control agencies must constantly monitor these microenvironments as the presence of these species endangers the health of park users and employees as well as people living near the parks. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 10/51230-8 - Biodiversidade de mosquitos (Diptera : Culicidae) nos parques municipais da cidade de São Paulo
• Beneficiário: Mauro Toledo Marrelli
• Linha de fomento: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Regular