title: Ceratopogonidae (Diptera: Nematocera) of the piedmont of the Yungas forests of Tucumán: ecology and distribution.
abstract: Within the Ceratopogonidae family, many genera transmit numerous diseases to humans and animals, while others are important pollinators of tropical crops. In the Yungas ecoregion of Argentina, previous systematic and ecological research on Ceratopogonidae focused onCulicoides, since they are the main transmitters of mansonelliasis in northwestern Argentina; however, few studies included the generaForcipomyia,Dasyhelea,Atrichopogon,Alluaudomyia,Echinohelea, andBezzia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the presence and abundance of Ceratopogonidae in this region, their association with meteorological variables, and their variation in areas disturbed by human activity. Monthly collection of specimens was performed from July 2008 to July 2009 using CDC miniature light traps deployed for two consecutive days. A total of 360 specimens were collected, being the most abundantDasyheleagenus (48.06%) followed byForcipomyia(26.94%) andAtrichopogon(13.61%). Bivariate analyses showed significant differences in the abundance of the genera at different sampling sites and climatic conditions, with the summer season and El Corralito site showing the greatest abundance of specimens. Accumulated rainfall was the variable that related the most to the abundance ofCulicoides(10.56%), while temperature was the most closely related variable to the abundance ofForcipomyia,Dasyhelea, andAtrichopogon.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Instituto Superior de Entomología "Dr. Abraham Willink", San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina.
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Direni Mancini
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Instituto Superior de Entomología "Dr. Abraham Willink" , San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán , Argentina.
authors.forename: Cecilia Adriana
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Veggiani-Aybar
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Instituto Superior de Entomología "Dr. Abraham Willink", San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina; Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina.
authors.forename: Ana Denise
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Fuenzalida
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Instituto Superior de Entomología "Dr. Abraham Willink" , San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán , Argentina.
authors.forename: Mercedes Sara
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3149-2362
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lizarralde de Grosso
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Instituto Superior de Entomología "Dr. Abraham Willink", San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina; Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Gabriela
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Quintana
keywords: Anthropic areas; Argentina; Montane forests