Mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) inhabiting foliar tanks of Guzmania brasiliensis Ule (Bromeliaceae) in central Amazonia, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) inhabiting foliar tanks of Guzmania brasiliensis Ule (Bromeliaceae) in central Amazonia, Brazil. Mosquitoes in the family Culicidae develop their immature forms in different environments depending on various circumstances. This study represents the first contribution to the ecological knowledge of culicids living in the bromeliad G. brasiliensis. The objectives of the study were to compare the Culicidae fauna of bromeliads in two seasonal periods, analyzing their abundance, richness and the influence of pH, conductivity and water volume, on the populations. Sampling was done at Reserva Adolpho Ducke, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil between 2003 and 2005. Six samplings were done in the rainy season and six in the dry season. On each sampling day, six terrestrial and six epiphytic bromeliads, totaling 144 sampling units, were retrieved. A total of 444 immature mosquitoes were collected, distributed in the following species:The relationship between abundance of Culicidae and sampling period was not significant, although abundance was higher in the dry period. There were significant correlations between water volume and the abundance (p = 0.003) and richness (p = 0.001) of culicids. The pH was positively related to the occurrence of the species Wy. autocratica (p= 0.010) and Wy. splendida (p= 0.006), demonstrating the influence of this factor in the structuring of bromeliadinhabiting communities.KEYWORDS. Amazon; Aquatic insects; Culex (Microculex); Phytotelmata; Wyeomyia.RESUMO. Mosquitos (Diptera, Culicidae) habitando tanques foliares de Guzmania brasiliensis Ule (Bromeliaceae) na Amazônia Central, Brasil. Mosquitos da família Culicidae desenvolvem suas formas imaturas em vários ambientes na dependência de circunstâncias diversas. Este trabalho representa a primeira contribuição ao conhecimento ecológico de culicídeos em G. brasiliensis e tem como objetivo inventariar os imaturos em bromélias em dois períodos sazonais, analisando a abundância, riqueza e a influência das variáveis abióticas pH, condutividade e volume de água sobre as populações de Culicidae. A relação entre abundância de Culicidae e períodos não foi significativa, entretanto, o período seco apresentou maior representatividade de imaturos. Houve significância na relação do volume de água e abundância (p= 0,003) e riqueza (p= 0,001) de culicídeos. O pH foi o único parâmetro relacionado positivamente com a ocorrência das espécies Wy. autocratica (p= 0,010) e Wy. splendida (p= 0,006) ressaltando a influência deste fator na estruturação das comunidades bromelícolas.

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

“…The positive relationship between immature mosquitoes and water volume, corroborate other studies on Culicidae that use phytotelmic habitats (Yanoviak 1999, Torreias et al 2010. In A. macrorrhizos, as in other phytotelmic habitats, the increase in the volume and persistence of water are essential factors to maintain an aquatic community in these ecosystems (Srivastava & Lawton 1998, Kitching 2000, Ospina-Bautista et al 2004, Yanoviak et al 1999.…”

“…In urban areas, Wy. melanocephala was also recorded colonizing Zingiberaceae axils, which have a similar Wyeomyia specimens are often found in bromeliads, bamboo internods and tree holes located in forest fragments in Brazil (Marques & Forattini 2008, Torreias et al 2010, Ceretti-Junior et al 2014. It is known that adult females are eclectic in the search for hosts.…”

“…Some species have the capacity to detect favorable habitats for oviposition, with varying degrees of specificity as to the host plant, and this can be specific to only one plant or to several plant species with similar structures within a specific area (Kitching 2000). We also need to consider that the axil size, volume of water, number of leaves, and quantity of debris are all variables that influence the structure of the communities associated with phytotelmata (Ambruster et al 2002, Melnychuk & Srivastava 2002, Ospina-Bautista et al 2004, Torreias et al 2010.…”

<b>Trends in the scientific production on aquatic microhabitats phytotelmata: a scientometric study

“…Brazil is considered one of the countries with the greatest diversity of flora and fauna on the planet (Schuttz, Araújo, & Sá, 2012). The Bromeliaceae family is essentially neotropical, presenting a high diversity of species in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil, in these plants the accumulation of rainwater and debris favors ecological interactions of different groups of organisms (Torreias, Ferreira-Keppler, Godoy, & Hamada, 2010). This family of plants also occurs from the southern United States to the south of Argentina, at altitudes ranging from 0 to 1200 meters, with an abundance in open, preserved, humid forests (Padilla, 1973).…”

Estudo da resposta de mosquitos (Diptera:Culicidae) a diferentes tipos de criadouros e condições de fatores físico-químicos da água

“…Considerando especificamente os culicídeos, estes são tolerantes a valores extremos de pH, permitindo a esses organismos explorarem os mais diversos tipos de ambientes (Clements, 2000;Clark et al, 2004b (Torreias et al, 2010).…”