Entomological Survey of the Mosquitoes in an Area of Ecological TOurism in the Brazilian Amazon Basin

Mosquitoes have a great epidemiological importance, since females of several species transmit etiological agents of human diseases, such as malaria and arboviruses. In Brazil, the state of Acre has been highlighted in recent years for its high incidence of diseases of relevance to public health, such as malaria, dengue, and leishmaniases, whose etiological agents are transmitted by insect vectors, including mosquitoes. Nevertheless, few studies have been carried out on the mosquito fauna in Acre State; this study aims to identify the culicid fauna of an ecological tourism area of the municipality of Xapuri, Acre State, Brazilian Amazon. Mosquito collections were carried out monthly at the Seringal Cachoeira settlement, between April 2014 and March 2015 using 6 automatic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention light traps, one in each ecotope. During the study period, 1,021 specimens belonging to the genera Aedeomyia, Aedes, Anopheles, Coquillettidia, Culex, Mansonia, Orthopodomyia, Psorophora, Trichoprosopon, and Uranotaenia were collected. The genus Culex was predominant, Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus being the most frequent species, followed by Cx. (Melanoconion) gnomatos. The importance of these findings is discussed.