Feeding Patterns of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Atlantic Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The stomach contents of culicids from the Atlantic Forest in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, were analyzed using the precipitin technique to evaluate the feeding patterns of the species. Sampling was performed from February 2012 to December 2013, using CO2-baited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traps to catch mosquitoes from 15 00 to 07 00 hours. The following antisera were used: bird, rodent, opossum, human, horse, capybara, lizard, and frog. Of the 325 adult bloodfed females caught and analyzed, 273 (84.0%) reacted in the precipitin test. The percentage of specimens with a positive reaction to a single antiserum included bird (39.2%), rodent (22.5%), opossum (13.2%), capybara (6.6%), horse (5.7%), frog (6.2%), human (4.0%), and lizard (2.6%). The specimens that reacted positively against more than one blood source (46) most frequently presented the following combinations: bird + rodent and bird + frog (17.4%), followed by bird + human (13.0%). The predominance of positive results for birds suggested that the avian-rich environment might have influenced the feeding behavior of the culicids.
Laboratório de Diptera, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Av. Brasil 4365, zip code 21040-360, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. jalencar@ioc.fiocruz.br.
Jeronimo
J
Alencar
Laboratório de Diptera, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Av. Brasil 4365, zip code 21040-360, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
Cecília Ferreira de
CF
Mello
Laboratório de Diptera, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Av. Brasil 4365, zip code 21040-360, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
Hélcio R
HR
Gil-Santana
Laboratório de Referência Nacional em Vetores das Riquetsioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Av., Brasil 4365, zip code 21040-360, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
Alessandro Ponce de Leão
AP
Giupponi
Laboratório de Diptera, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Av. Brasil 4365, zip code 21040-360, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, BR-465, Km 7, zip code: 23890-000, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
Andressa Nunes
AN
Araújo
Laboratório Nacional e Internacional de Referência em Taxonomia de Triatomíneos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Av., Brasil 4365, zip code 21040-360, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
Elias Seixas
ES
Lorosa
Laboratório de Diptera, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Av. Brasil 4365, zip code 21040-360, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
Anthony Érico
AÉ
Guimarães
Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Vigilância Entomológica em Diptera e Hemiptera, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Av., Brasil 4365, zip code 21040-360, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
Júlia Dos Santos
Jdos S
Silva
D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D009033:Culicidae / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D020387:Food Chain; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000502:physiology
behavior; feeding habit; mosquito; precipitin test