Introduction: Haemagogus are mosquitoes with diurnal habits that live preferentially in forest areas. In Brazil, they are considered the primary vectors of wild yellow fever. Methods: The ecological relationships between Haemagogus spegazzinii, the environment, and some of its activities in the semiarid region of Rio Grande do Norte were analyzed by collecting eggs with ovitraps, actively searching in tree holes, capturing adults in Shannon traps, and conducting an investigation for viral infections. Results: A total of 2420 eggs, 271 immature specimens (larvae and pupae), and 206 adults were collected. Egg collection depended on rainfall and relative humidity, with oviposition occurring between January and May. Larvae were found in five plant species, including Tabebuia aurea (craibeira), with 160 larvae collected. We observed shared breeding sites between Hg. spegazzinii and the following species: Aedes albopictus, Aedes terrens, Culex spp., and Toxorhynchites theobaldi. Adults exhibited greater activity between 5 pm and 6 pm, when 191 (92.7%) specimens were captured, while only 1 (0.5%) was collected between 7 pm and 8 pm. The relationship between Hg. spegazzinii and rainfall was significant, with positive correlations with accumulated rainfall 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 days before mosquito collection. We found that the species was infected with the DENV-2 virus. Conclusions: This work contributes new information on the bioecology of Hg. spegazzinii, with data on the main reproduction periods, oviposition, breeding sites, activity times, and the relationship between the species and meteorological variables in the Caatinga of northeastern Brazil.

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Background Phlebotomines are a group of insects which include vectors of the Leishmania parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), diseases primarily affecting populations of low socioeconomic status. VL in Brazil is caused by Leishmania infantum, with transmission mainly attributed to Lutzomyia longipalpis, a species complex of sand fly, and is concentrated mainly in the northeastern part of the country. CL is distributed worldwide and occurs in five regions of Brazil, at a higher incidence in the north and northeast regions, with etiological agents, vectors, reservoirs and epidemiological patterns that differ from VL. The aim of this study was to determine the composition, distribution and ecological relationships of phlebotomine species in an Atlantic Forest conservation unit and nearby residential area in northeastern Brazil. Methods Centers for Disease Control and Shannon traps were used for collections, the former at six points inside the forest and in the peridomestic environment of surrounding residences, three times per month for 36 months, and the latter in a forest area, once a month for 3 months. The phlebotomines identified were compared with climate data using simple linear correlation, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and cross-correlation. The estimate of ecological parameters was calculated according to the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, standardized index of species abundance and the dominance index. Results A total of 75,499 phlebotomines belonging to 11 species were captured in the CDC traps, the most abundant being Evandromyia walkeri, Psychodopygus wellcomei and Lu. longipalpis. Evandromyia walkeri abundance was most influenced by temperature at collection time and during the months preceding collection and rainfall during the months preceding collection. Psychodopygus wellcomei abundance was most affected by rainfall and relative humidity during the collection month and the month immediately preceding collection time. Lutzomyia longipalpis abundance showed a correlation with temperature and the rainfall during the months preceding collection time. The Shannon trap contained a total of 3914 phlebotomines from these different species. Psychodopygus wellcomei, accounting for 91.93% of the total, was anthropophilic and active mainly at night. Conclusions Most of the species collected in the traps were seasonal and exhibited changes in their composition and population dynamics associated with local adaptions. The presence of vectors Ps. wellcomei and Lu. longipalpis underscore the epidemiological importance of these phlebotomines in the conservation unit and surrounding anthropized areas. Neighboring residential areas should be permanently monitored to prevent VL or CL transmission and outbreaks.

Lutzomyia wellcomei (Fraiha, Shaw & Lainson) (Diptera: Psychodidae) can act as an important vector of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis This study presents the results of collections carried out in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in a Conservation Unit of Rio Grande do Norte state. Collections occurred over 12 consecutive months using Shannon and CDC traps. A total of 777 sand flies from eight species were collected: Lutzomyia walkeri (Newstead), Lutzomyia evandroi (Costa Lima & Antunes), Lutzomyia wellcomei (Fraiha, Shaw & Lainson), Lutzomyia sordellii (Shannon & Del Ponte), Lutzomyia brasiliensis (Costa Lima), Lutzomyia lenti (Mangabeira), Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva), and Lutzomyia abonnenci (Floch & Chassignet). Lutzomyia wellcomei was the most abundant species using the Shannon trap (97%) and L. walkeri in the CDC trap (81%). It is important to note the abundance of L. wellcomei in Shannon trap collections, which favors the capture of anthropophilic species. Lutzomyia wellcomei was only present in months where rainfall was above 100 mm, confirming it as a species adapted to wetter months.

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Mosquitoes are found worldwide; in Brazil, 530 species are distributed across all its biomes. Understanding of the biodiversity of the Caatinga biome remains incomplete, especially for Culicidae. We carried out a sampling of immature and adult mosquitoes in aquatic habitats and using Shannon traps in a seasonally dry tropical forest, in the semiarid of Rio Grande do Norte. A total of 1747 immatures of 13 species were collected during the study period (2017–2020) in groundwater sites, rock depressions, with and without vegetation, and tree holes. The maintenance of temporary breeding sites is related to the dry and rainy seasons. We collected 2132 adult mosquitoes of 12 species between 5 and 8 PM. Correlation analyses showed the effect of meteorological variables on Culicidae populations. Both immature and adult mosquitoes' abundance were significantly influenced by temperature and wind. The abundance of adult mosquitoes of the genera Aedes demonstrated a positive correlation with temperature, and a negative one with Mansonia and Uranotaenia. Our study adds information on the population dynamics of mosquitoes in the Brazilian semiarid, highlighting the bioecological relationships and breeding sites of species relevant to public health.

Biological collections are of extreme importance in acquiring knowledge of the biodiversity of a specific environment. In this article, we organise, list and catalogue the adult specimens belonging to the family Culicidae housed in the Parasitology Collection of the Basic Pathology Department at the Federal University of Paraná, southern Brazil. To this end, a data bank was created, containing information on the taxonomy and collecting of each sample. The culicids were collected using different methodologies in 18 municipalities in the state of Paraná, between 1967 and 1999. There are 5,739 catalogued specimens of which 4,704 (81.96%) are identified at a specific level, with a diversity of 205 species. Of these, 18 are new recorded samples for the state of Paraná and 3 for Brazil. This being the case, we propose, in honour of the 30 years dedicated to the study of culicids in the state of Paraná, the creation of the Ana Leuch Lozovei Entomological Collection, which is composed of insect vectors or potential vectors, of agents that cause diseases in humans.