title: Diurnal biting periodicity of parous Simulium (Diptera: Simuliidae) vectors in the onchocerciasis Amazonian focus.
abstract: We describe the hourly patterns of parous biting activity of the three main simuliid vectors of human onchocerciasis in the Amazonian focus straddling between Venezuela and Brazil, namely, Simulium guianense s.l. Wise; S. incrustatum Lutz, and S. oyapockense s.l. Floch and Abonnenc. Time series of the hourly numbers of host-seeking parous flies caught in five Yanomami villages during dry, rainy, and their transition periods from 1995 to 2001 were investigated using harmonic analysis (assuming an underlying circadian rhythm) and periodic correlation (based on Spearman's r). Parous S guianense s.l. showed a bimodal activity pattern, with a minor peak in mid-morning and a major peak at 16:00 h. S. incrustatum exhibited mainly unimodal activity during either early morning or midday according to locality. S. oyapockense s.l. bit humans throughout the day mainly between 10:00 and 16:00 h but also showed bimodal periodicity in some localities. Superimposed on the endogenous, species-specific daily cycles, parous activity showed variation according to locality, season, air temperature and relative humidity, with biting being promoted by warmer and drier hours during wet seasons/periods and reduced during hotter times in dry seasons or transitions. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for blackfly biology and ecology as well as onchocerciasis epidemiology and control.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología de Vectores, Instituto de Zoología Tropical, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado Postal 47072, Caracas 1041-A, Venezuela.
authors.forename: M-E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Grillet
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Villamizar
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cortez
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Frontado
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Escalona
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vivas-Martínez
authors.forename: M-G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Basáñez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009854:Onchocerca / Q000254:growth & development*; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D012621:Seasons; D012843:Simuliidae / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology