Feeding Strategy And Prey Selectivity In Cnesterodon decemmaculatus And Jenynsia multidentata In Experimental Enclosures: Importance For The Biological Control Of Mosquito Populations

BONIFACIO, A.F.; USSEGLIO, V.L.; HUED, A.C.; AUN, L.; MARTORI, R.

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL

ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019

1049-9644

Mosquitoes pose a threat to human and animal health due they act as vectors for numerouspathogens and parasites which cause disease. Several methods are used to controlmosquito populations. Chemical pesticides can be harmful to human health and otherslifeforms, including natural predators, and mosquitoes have been well documented todevelop resistance through time. Alternative methods for mosquito control must beexplored, being the biological control an effective and environmentally friendly strategy;when this is carried out with native species that are not exported out of their natural limits.The most widely used biocontrol agents of mosquito populations are the fishes of thegenus Gambusia spp., nevertheless, these species have become invasive species in severalplaces where they have introduced affecting non-target species. Widespread native fishspecies could be an appropriate alternative to these invasive species and circumvent theirnegative impacts. C. decemmaculatus and J. multidentata are widely distributed nativefish of temperate zones of South America. The main goal of our work was analyze thefeeding strategy and prey selectivity in Cnesterodon decemmaculatus and Jenynsiamultidentata focusing on mosquito biocontrol implications. The feeding strategyobserved for both C. decemmaculatus and J. multidentata showed that the items that hadthe highest percent of prey-specific abundance were the mosquito larvae. The selectivityindex displayed by C. decemmaculatus and J. multidentata suggested a significantselection for mosquito larvae and a significant avoidance of copepods. In this work, theactive selection of C. decemmaculatus and J. multidentata for mosquito larvae wasdetermined, allowing us to propose and support their use as useful species for thebiological control of mosquitoes.