Carapanãs (Diptera: Culicidae) Antropofílicos da Zona Urbana da Cidade de Belém, Pará, Brasil

Abstract

There are several insects that attack humans looking for blood repast and this behavior is related to the need of females for proteins from the blood of vertebrates, especially mammals and birds, to enable their reproductive processes and maturation of eggs. The insects of the Culicidae family are diptera of the suborder Nematocera, commonly known as mosquitoes, mosquitoes, mosquitoes, or carapans. They are insects of great epidemiological importance, since they are involved in the transmission of diseases such as malaria, filariasis, and several arboviroses to humans. Their biological cycle presents egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages, the immature stages being aquatic and the adults winged. This study aims to study the anthropophilic Culicidae species in the urban area of Belém city in different areas of the city and to analyze the vertical distribution of the species. The collections were performed in three different areas of the city of Belém: downtown, peri-center and periphery. Every two months, CDC traps were installed in the peridomicile of each mentioned area, in the interval from 6:00 PM to 7:00 AM of the following day. The collections with human bait were made in the peridomestic and domicile of the residences located in the mentioned points, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. So far, three collections were made in December 2002, February and April 2003. A total of 91 mosquitoes were captured, of which 84 were of the Culex genus and seven of the Aedes genus; 71 specimens were captured with human bait and 13 in CDC traps. The Culex quinquefasciatus species was clearly dominant, with 91 % of the specimens. Specimens of the family Psychodidae and other diptera were also captured in CDC. As for the collection points, 48 mosquitoes were captured in the central area of Belém, 21 in the peri-central area and 15 in the periphery. The results, although preliminary, indicate higher diversity and density in the central, peri-central and peripheral areas, respectively, the opposite of what was expected, considering the extent of areas without asphalt, without buildings and with