Occurence of larval Culicidae (Diptera) in water retained in Aquascypha hydrophora (Fungus: Stereaceae) in Central Amazônia, Brazil

Abstract

The community structure of insects, especially mosquito larvae, in water held in the fungus Aquascypha hydrophora (Berk.) Reid (Stereaceae) This study was undertaken to increase our knowledge of entomological fauna that inhabit the fungus Aquascypha hydrophora (Berk.) Reid (Stereaceae) (Figure), which grows on standing or fallen dead trees and holds rain water where many insects live. Knowledge of mosquito habitats, especially those in forested areas, is important to understanding the habitat distribution of disease vectors in the Amazon region.The study was done in the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, 26 km east of Manaus, AM (02º55'S; 59º59'W), from September 1998 through November 1999. The area consists of Campinarana Forest, which is a non-flooded forest that grows on whitesand soil, with a deep layer of leaf litter, trees 15-25 m in height, high densities of epiphytes, low light penetration, and a dense understory (Ribeiro et al. 1999).Collections were made in two areas adjacent to streams that have partially covered canopies. One dead fallen tree trunk and one dead standing tree trunk were used as substrate for the Stereaceae fungus. Insects were collected by hand pipetes, and transported to the laboratory in 120 ml plastic vials containing water from the collection site. Water removed from the natural habitats was not replaced. Samples of collected 4th-instar larvae were reared to obtain adults for identification; remaining larvae were stored in 70% ethanol. Water volume, temperature and pH were measured at the time of collection.A. hydrophora form cup-like structures with a mean diameter of 9.2 cm (2.7-14.9 cm) and mean height of 16.3 cm (6.1-18 cm), holding a mean of 35 ml of water (1-70 ml). The fungal cups were at heights 45-210 cm above the ground. The mean water temperature was 27ºC and mean pH was 4.4. The fungal cups house a rich fauna, and the most important source of organic matter may come from leaves, flowers, and fruits that fall from trees, providing food for the residents, especially filter-feeding species.During the sampling period entomofauna comprised immature Culicidae (Diptera), the most abundant component (n = 121) 91.7%, followed by immature Chironomidae (Diptera) (n = 5) 3.8%, immature Tipulidae (Diptera) (n = 3) 2.3%, and adult Dytiscidae (Coleoptera) (n = 3) 2.3%. Seventyseven cups were examined: 64 had water and 54 of these were inhabited by insects. The mean number of insects per cup was 7.8 (SD = 8.8), the total number of insects collected was 345, with a minimum of one and a maximum of 44 per cup. The Culicidae associated with A. hydrophora included species

The community of Diptera (Insecta) colonizing axils of Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) G.Don (Araceae), with records of Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in urban areas of Manaus, Amazonas

“…Nevertheless, after Culicidae, this is the second most abundant and diverse group in phytotelmata, colonizing various species of plants that are capable of storing water (Kitching 2000) in addition to breeding in sites formed by mycotelmata (Ferreira et al 2001, Serpa-Filho et al 2007). In this environment, chironomid larvae have broad feeding plasticity (preying, filtering-collecting, scraping and collecting).…”

Ocorrência de Polypedilum (Tripodura) amataura Bidawid-Kafka, 1996 (Diptera; Chironomidae) em Aquascypha hydrophora (berk.) Reid (Fungi; Stereaceae), com descrição da pupa na Amazônia Central, Brasil

“…Na Amazônia, Ferreira et al (2001) assinalam em Aquascypha hydrophora (Berk.) Reid, 1965, adultos de Coleoptera -Dysticidae e imaturos de três famílias de Diptera -Tipulidae, Chironomidae e Culicidae, esta última com nove espécies, o que mostra a aptidão desta micotelmata como criadouro para diversificada entomofauna.…”