No abstract

Crepuscular period is one of the factors that may influence the biting activity of mosquitoes. Many of these insects have a peak activity in this period. The purpose of this study was to investigate the afternoon crepuscular activity of Culicidae in a remaining area of Atlantic Forest in western Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Moreover, the possible influence of abiotic factors, the abundance and species richness were verified. In order to better analyze the influence of crepuscular period in specific composition and abundance of mosquitoes, the dusk was divided into three periods: pre-sunset, sunset and post-sunset. At the end of the study, nine hundred and eight four specimens distributed in 12 genera and 23 species were collected. Trichoprosopon pallidiventer (Lutz, 1905) (59.76%), Aedes crinifer (Theobald, 1903) (8.13%), Ae. scapularis (Rondani, 1848) (5.89%) were the most abundant species. Spring time presented the greatest abundance and species richness. During the study, among the three periods evaluated, pre-sunset had the greatest abundance and post-sunset the lowest. Pre-sunset and sunset had the greatest similarity between species. Regarding to the abiotic factors evaluated seven and 15 days before sampling, they did not present significant correlation for the three most abundant species. However, temperature had a positive correlation to these species. Moreover, the correlation between collected species and its possible role as vectors of etiological agents of diseases was discussed.Keywords: abiotic factors, Culicidae, Diptera, Hematophagy, Santa Catarina state. Mosquitos (Diptera

RESUMO: O presente estudo teve como objetivo identificar as espécies de mamíferos de médio e grande porte mortos por atropelamento em trechos de cinco rodovias, totalizando 110 km de extensão, na região oeste de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Foi analisada a sazonalidade, as diferenças na quantidade de atropelamentos nas diferentes rodovias e nas diferentes fitofisionomias ao longo destas. Foram realizadas expedições mensais, de junho de 2013 a maio de 2014, sendo encontrados 66 mamíferos atropelados, pertencentes a nove espécies, com uma taxa de atropelamento 0,05 ind./km/dia. As espécies com maior quantidade de indivíduos atropelados foram Didelphis albiventris com 25,75% dos atropelamentos, seguido de Cerdocyon thous com 16,66%, Nasua nasua com 9,10%, Dasypus novemcinctus com 7,57%. Não houve variação significativa de animais atropelados sazonalmente e nem relação entre a vegetação e o local de atropelamento, porém, locais considerados antropizados tiveram maior quantidade de atropelamentos. A diferença na variância de mamíferos atropelados entre as rodovias foi significativa (H = 13,78, p < 0,01). A Análise de Agrupamento demonstrou que a composição da mastofauna atropelada em campo sujo, capoeira e floresta foram similares entre si. Também o foram as áreas de floresta e áreas de Pinus sp. e agrícolas.

Surveys to discover the habitats of mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) are useful for understanding their distribution, seasonality activity patterns, ecological interactions and the risk they pose for disease transmission. Therefore, in this study, we conducted a 1 year survey of mosquito species and analysed the seasonality and daily rhythms of four species found in a forest fragment from Southern Brazil. Collections were performed during the morning, afternoon, and evening, from October 2012 to September 2013. The most abundant species were Psorophora ferox, Aedes crinifer and Coquillettidia venezuelensis. Ae. crinifer was collected during all seasons, exhibiting diurnal and nocturnal activity in all seasons, except summer. Cq. venezuelensis was collected only in spring and summer and was primarily nocturnal. Haemagogus leucocelaenus, which transmits the Yellow Fever virus, was collected in spring, summer, and autumn; this species was primarily diurnal and was more active in the afternoon. Ps. ferox was collected in spring, summer and autumn and was primarily diurnal. Despite the low abundance of mosquito species at our study site, we consider that the knowledge about Culicidae fauna was improved, mainly regarding their biology. We provide new data about mosquito species in a specific area in Southern Brazil, which was once known to record deaths of non-human primates, a phenomenon that may be directly related to the presence of wild yellow fever vector mosquitoes.

Considering the importance of Culicidae species to public health, this study aimed to update and provide better understanding of the mosquito fauna in an Atlantic Forest preservation area in Paranaguá, Paraná State, Southern Brazil. This was achieved via a mosquito survey with a subsequent analysis of the impact of abiotic factors on the composition of the mosquito community. A total of 1641 culicid specimens of 42 species and 10 genera were identified. The most abundant taxa were Aedes serratus/nubilus, Psorophora ferox and Anopheles cruzii, the latter being the main vector of malaria in the Atlantic Forest. Culex abonnenci, a species that had not yet been recorded in Paraná State, was also identified. Rainfall and temperature were found to have a high influence on some species, such as Aedes hortator, Ps. ferox and An. cruzii. This study demonstrates that performing new studies in already researched regions is relevant, as new species may be recorded. In addition, analysing the effects of abiotic factors on mosquito species is important to understand how climate change influences the composition of species in certain areas and therefore impacts the dynamics of diseases propagated by insect vectors.