An unsettling explanation for the failure of skatole ‐baited ovitraps to capture Culex mosquitoes

AbstractCulex mosquitoes are primarily found in temperate and tropical regions worldwide where they play a crucial role as main vectors of filarial worms and arboviruses. In Recife, a northeast city in Brazil, high densities ofCulex quinquefasciatus are often found in association with human populated areas. In marked contrast to another part of the city, field tests conducted in the neighborhood of S ítio dos Pintos showed that trapping of mosquitoes in skatole‐baited ovitraps did not differ significantly from captures in control (water) traps. Thus, classical and molecular taxonomic approaches were used to analyze theCulex species circulating in S ítio dos Pintos. Results obtained from both approaches agreed on the cocirculation ofCulex quinquefasciatus andCulex nigripalpus in three different areas of this neighborhood. What was initially considered as an unexpected failure of this lure turned out to be a more unsettling problem, that is, the first report in Recife ofCulex nigripalpus, a vector of Venezuelan equine encephalitis  virus and West Nile virus. Unplanned urbanization processes close to remnants of the Atlantic forest, such as observed in Sítio dos Pintos, may have contributed to the introduction ofCx. nigripalpus in urban areas.

Source: Insect Science - April 17, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Marcelo H. S. Paiva, Ros ângela M. R. Barbosa, Suzane A. Santos, Norma M. Silva, Marcia B. Paula, Constância F. J. Ayres, Walter S. Leal Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research