Convergent Habitat Segregation of <I>Aedes aegypti</I> and <I>Aedes albopictus</I> (Diptera: Culicidae) in Southeastern Brazil and Florida

Abstract

During the rainy season of 2001, the incidence of the dengue vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus was examined in different habitats of two cities (Rio de Janeiro and Nova Iguaçu) in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, and in two cities (Palm Beach and Boca Raton) in Florida. Oviposition trap collections were performed in urban, suburban, and rural habitats in both areas. Our hypothesis that the abundances and frequencies of occurrence of Ae. aegypti and Ae albopictus are affected in opposite ways by increasing urbanization was only partially supported. City, habitat, and their interaction significantly affected the abundance of both species. Cities with high abundance of Ae. aegypti also had a high abundance of Ae. albopictus. The two species were most abundant in the cities of Rio de Janeiro state and the lowest in Boca Raton. Habitat had a significant but opposite effect on the abundances of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. In general, Ae. aegypti was most prevalent in highly urbanized areas and Ae. albopictus in rural, suburban, and vegetated urban areas in Rio de Janeiro state and Florida. However, abundances of the two species were similar in most suburban areas. Analyses of frequencies of occurrence showed an unexpected high level of co-occurrence of both species in the same oviposition trap. Despite the different geographical origins of Ae. albopictus in Brazil and the United States, the habitats used by this recent invader are remarkably similar in the two countries.

Tire-breeding mosquitoes of public health importance along an urbanisation gradient in Buenos Aires, Argentina

“…In the Americas, studies from the US and Brazil have documented that Ae. aegypti reaches its maximum infestation levels in highly urbanised sites in comparison with rural or forested environments (O'Meara et al 1995, Braks et al 2003, Rey et al 2006. Our survey in temperate Argentina is not consistent with these studies, as our data showed a clear increasing trend of infestation levels toward less urbanised areas (i.e., small towns).…”

Atividade antropofílica de Aedes aegypti e Aedes albopictus em área sob controle e vigilância

“…Gomes et al, 10 in a study carried out on the urban periphery of the municipality of Tremembé, also reported the influence of vegetation, with the presence of larvae in tree hollows. According to Braks et al, 3 in a study using oviposition traps, the abundance of the two species was similar in suburban areas of Rio de Janeiro and Florida. The present study also revealed a similarity in the capturing of females in the central and peripheral areas of the city, with a difference for Ae.…”

Calculating the survival rate and estimated population density of gravid Aedes aegypti (Diptera, Culicidae) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…It generally breeds in large artificial containers, has high daily survival rates, and moves across variable distances depending on the environment and climate, while its populations are highly genetically structured 3,4,5,6,7,8 . Differences in the degree of urbanization and in socio-economic status between adjacent blocks mean that Rio de Janeiro is a mosaic in terms of dengue epidemiology, where specific control activities for each area might be required 4,9,10 .…”