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Issue: Vol. 48 No. 2: April to May 2024
Type: Article
Published: 2024-04-17
DOI: 10.12976/jib/2024.48.2.1
Page range: 34-42
Abstract views: 77
PDF downloaded: 0

Seasonality and composition of the Simuliidae fauna (Insecta: Diptera) from the altitudinal gradient in Itatiaia National Park, Brazil

Departamento de Entomologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Parque Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - IOC/Fiocruz, Laboratório de Simulídeos, Oncocercose, Entomologia Médica e Forense (LSOEMF/IOC-Fiocruz), Coleção de Simulídeos do IOC - CSIOC/Fiocruz, 21040-360, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Departamento de Entomologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Parque Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Laboratório de Meio Ambiente e Saúde, Faculdade de Ciências Biológicas e Saúde, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Campo Grande, Avenida Manuel Caldeira De Alvarenga, 23070-200, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Altitude fields Atlantic Forest Blackflies Ecology Malaise

Abstract

Black flies are abundant on all continents except Antarctica, currently being known 2,384 species, of which 97 occur in Brazil. Due to the hematophagous habit of females, they cause extreme discomfort, causing severe allergic reactions, in addition to some species being disease vectors. Abiotic factors strongly interfere with the life cycle of insects and this work seeks to understand how the distribution of Simuliidae adults is influenced at in different altitudes in the Parque Nacional de Itatiaia (PNI), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Three six-meter-long Malaise-type flight interception traps were installed in streams during 30 days, with two collection pots at each end. Altogether, 1,430 adult specimens of Simuliidae were analyzed, with two genera and 11 species identified. Throughout the project, four collections were made, two in the dry season and two in the rainy season. The statistical analyzes (CCA and N-MDS) showed that wind speed and altitude are the most influent factors in the distribution of species.

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