Mosquitos (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) do Parque Estadual da Mata Seca, MG: sazonalidade e impacto da pecuária bovina

Abstract

The aim of this work was to evaluate the seasonality effects on the Culicidae community of a Seasonal Tropical Dry Forest (STDF). The following hypothesis was tested: there is a change in the composition of the Culicidae community between dry and wet season, with higher values of species richness and abundance during the wet season. This study was carried out in the Parque Estadual da Mata Seca (PEMS), located in the São Francisco river valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The PEMS is composed by a primary and secondary forest mosaic and dominated by deciduous trees, which 90 95% leaf loss during the May-September dry season. Culicidae were sampled during the wet (March 2009 and December 2009) and dry (August 2008 and October 2010) seasons, inside a riparian forest and forest fragments classified as early, intermediate or late successional stages. Sampling was conducted using Shannon traps with aid of manual aspirators in a two hours period, during the dusk. We observed a strong influence of season on the Culicidae abundance and richness, indicating a change in the communities composition. Through an Indicator Species Analysis, seven species were associated to the wet season. Although four species were sampled only in the dry season, no species were considered indicator of this period. This is the first study evaluating the climatic factors influence on the Culicidae fauna in a Brazilian STDF Brazilian. Due to its peculiar dynamics, these forests become interesting for studying these variations. Further long term studies that evaluate the influence of climatic variations in the Culicidae distribution and community composition, and their hosts in areas of deciduous forest are needed.