Culicids Diptera of the Chillon River and adjacent areas from the constitutional province of Callao, Peru, during El Nino event 1997-1998 Culicidos Diptera del rio Chillon y sectores adyacentes de la provincia constitucional del Callao, Peru, durante El Nino 1997-1998
Iannacone, J.A.berto.; Alvarino, L.; Moreno, R.; Reyes, M.; Chauca, J.
Acta Entomologica Chilena 24: 51-60
2000
Document Number: 350830
The present study evaluated some areas of natural breeding places of mosquitoes near human populations in Callao-Peru during December 97 to August 98: Chillon River margins, adjacent areas to underdevelopment town "Los Carrizales" and Ventanilla wetlands (Ventanilla district) and underdevelopment towns: Tiwinza, Daniel A. Carrion and Francisco Bolognesi (Carmen de la Legua district), Larvae of culicids of medical importance as Anopheles pseudopunctipennis (Theobald), Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) and Aedes taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann) were assessed. A. taeniorhynchus was registered for the first time during August 98 at "Los Carrizales" and Ventanilla wetlands in areas with the highest salinities (39,5%) in comparison with the other areas of natural breeding places of mosquitoes. The least water temperatures (21,1 deg. C) and the highest pH (7,8) were observed in these localities. Chillon River presented the highest richness of biological taxa of all localities evaluated. The culicid A. pseudopunctipennis was observed in Chillon River at the highest air temperature (28,6 deg. C) and water temperature (28,1 deg. C) and the least pH (7,02). Moreover, spatial and temporal variation of population and the larvae index were observed in nine survey points of Chillon River. High larvae indexes of A. pseudopunctipennis were associated with presence of the algae Cladophora glomerata (L.) Kuetzing and with the macrophyte Lemna minor (L.). The larvivorous fish Poecilia reticulata Peters, nayads of Libellulidae and Coenagrionidae (Odonata) and adults of Dytiscidae (Coleoptera) were recorded as potential predators. The results were compared with those of the 1995-96 Pre-ENSO event, concluding that one of the consequences of Southern Oscillation ENSO "El Nino" 1997-98 event in the Peruvian coast was an increase of the population of these culicids of medical importance.