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. 2016 Nov 17:4:e2655.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.2655. eCollection 2016.

Ceratopogonidae (Diptera: Nematocera) of the piedmont of the Yungas forests of Tucumán: ecology and distribution

José Manuel Direni Mancini  1 , Cecilia Adriana Veggiani-Aybar  2 , Ana Denise Fuenzalida  3 , Mercedes Sara Lizarralde de Grosso  2 , María Gabriela Quintana  4
Affiliations

Ceratopogonidae (Diptera: Nematocera) of the piedmont of the Yungas forests of Tucumán: ecology and distribution

José Manuel Direni Mancini et al. PeerJ. .

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 on Culicoides, since they are the main transmitters of mansonelliasis in northwestern Argentina; however, few studies included the genera Forcipomyia, Dasyhelea, Atrichopogon, Alluaudomyia, Echinohelea, and Bezzia. 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 abundant Dasyhelea genus (48.06%) followed by Forcipomyia (26.94%) and Atrichopogon (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 of Culicoides (10.56%), while temperature was the most closely related variable to the abundance of Forcipomyia, Dasyhelea, and Atrichopogon.

Keywords: Anthropic areas; Argentina; Montane forests.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Geographic distribution of sampling sites in Juan Bautista Alberdi Department, Tucumán.
EC, El Corralito; EB, El Badén; YA, Yánima; BM, Bajo Marapa; MC, Marapa Central. (from Maria G. Quintana; Date of map © 2006 Google Earth, Image © 2008 TerraMetrics).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean relative abundance of A. Culicoides, B. Forcipomyia, C. Dasyhelea, D. Atrichopogon versus regressor variables.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Partial residuals of A. Culicoides, B. Forcipomyia, C. Dasyhelea, D. Atrichopogon and retained variables by the statistical model.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Standardized vs. predicted residuals for A. Culicoides, B. Forcipomyia, C. Dasyhelea, D. Atrichopogon.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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