La influencia de la vegetación acuática en el desarrollo de las poblaciones de "Simulium erythrocephalum" (De Geer, 1776) (Diptera, Simuliidae) en Madrid: su relación con las emergencias masivas de mosca negra.

Many species of blackflies (Diptera, Simuliidae) are causing bites in humans and livestock, with important consequences from the medical and veterinary point of view, mainly when they are vectors of different infectious diseases. In this work we have addressed the importance of macrophytes present in rivers that act as support for the preimaginal stages of the species Simulium erythrocephalum. In Spain, this species causes annoying bites on humans, and in the last decade is the responsible for a great number of medical attentions by insect bites in the Autonomous Community of Madrid  in Aragon and Catalonia as well as. The present study has focused on the hydrophytes and helophytes of the middle and lower stretches of the rivers (breeding sites of the preimaginal stages of this species) of the C.A.M. Eleven species of these plants and eight of black flies have been collected and identified. Likewise, the plants where the larvae and pupae of S. erythrocephalum are attached were noted and which seem to be responsible, due to its high density in the riverbed together other river parameters, of the massive emergency of the adults.