Composition of anopheline (Diptera: Culicidae) community and its seasonal variation in three environments of the city of Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina.

RAMIREZ P.G.; STEIN MARINA; EDUARDO ETCHEPARE; ALMIRÓN WALTER R.

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOC AMER

Lugar: Lanham; Año: 2018 vol. 55 p. 351 - 359

0022-2585

In order to extend the knowledge of the composition of the anopheline 16 community and the seasonal variation related to anthropogenic modifications in the city 17 of Puerto Iguazú, adult females were captured between 2009 and 2012. Samples were 18 collected in three environments with different degrees of anthropogenic modification: 19 urban, periurban and wild. Alpha diversity was evaluated as the ?true? diversity of the 20 species in each environment. Among environments, range-abundance curves were used 21 to compare the composition, abundance and uniformity of species and cluster analysis 22 was used to analyze the similarities and differences. The temporal distribution was 23 analyzed and the relative abundance of the species captured was correlated with 24meteorological variables. A total of 4,565 females, belonging to seven species: 25 Anopheles albitarsis s.s. (Lynch-Arribálzaga), Anopheles argyritarsis (Robineau-26 Desvoidy), Anopheles deaneorum (Rosa-Freitas), Anopheles fluminensis (Root), 27 Anopheles mediopunctatus (Theobald), Anopheles strodei s.l. (Root) and Anopheles 28 triannulatus s.l. (Neiva and Pinto) were captured. The wild environment showed higher 29 abundance, diversity and greater uniformity reflected on the less sharp area of the range-30 abundance curve. Species richness was the same in the wild and periurban 31 environments. Higher abundances were observed in summer during the months with 32 higher temperatures. Although the wild environment showed greater Anopheles 33 abundances and diversity, specific richness and species complementarity were similar 34 among the three environments studied. Thus, the periurban environment would turn into 35 a transition zone of great epidemiological importance due to the introduction of people 36 in this environment, which represents a potential risk of malaria transmission in the 37 area.