Diversity of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Rural Settlements and Degraded Seasonal Deciduous Forests

• Published in: Journal of medical entomology 2022-01, Vol.59 (1), p.240-247
• Main Authors: Conceição Abreu Bandeira, Maria da, Cerqueira, Allane Barros, Pinto Moraes, Jorge Luiz, Brazil, Reginaldo Peçanha, Macário Rebêlo, José Manuel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abundance; Amazonia; Animals; Biological diversity; Biting; Brazil; Ceratopogonidae; Ceratopogonidae - classification; Chironomidae; Classification; Culicoides; Deciduous forests; Deforestation; ecology; Ecosystem; Ecosystems; Environmental impact; Forest degradation; Forests; Habitat loss; Habitats; Insect Vectors - classification; Low temperature; POPULATION AND COMMUNITY ECOLOGY; Rainfall; Rainy season; Relative humidity; Rural areas; Rural environments; Rural Population; savanna; Seasonal variations; Seasons; Species diversity; Species richness; vector insect; Weather
• ISSN: 0022-2585; 1938-2928
• DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjab150

Biting midges are widespread in Brazilian natural ecosystems. However, deforestation and other activities that impact the environment are reducing natural habitats where biting midges proliferate. The objective of this study was to verify whether there is variation in the composition, richness, abundance, and seasonality of biting midges between wild and rural environments, in a forest area with intense deforestation. Biting midges were captured using 6 traps installed at an average height of 1.5 m in the peridomicile, intradomicile, and deciduous seasonal forests, once a month from May 2012 to April 2013. In total, 2,182 specimens of 13 species of the genus Culicoides were captured. Species richness was similar in the intradomicile (13 species), forest (12), and peridomicile (11), but species diversity was greater in the peridomicile (H' = 0.803) compared with the intradomicile (H' = 0.717) and forest (H' = 0.687). The order of species dominance varied between the forest (Culicoides paucienfuscatus Barbosa > Culicoides leopodoi Ortiz > Culicoides foxi Ortiz > Culicoides ignacioi Forattini) and peridomicile + intradomicile habitats (C. paucienfuscatus > C. foxi > C. filariferus Hoffman > C. ignacioi). The activity of these dipterans was strongly influenced by meteorological variables, as biting midges are predominant in the rainy season (80.7% of specimens), when higher rainfall, relative humidity, and lower temperatures prevail. The abundance of biting midges was higher in the peridomicile + intradomicile (83.7% of specimens) compared with the degraded forest (16.3%), a result that reflects the loss of forest habitat due to intense and progressive deforestation.