Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (Mar 2010)

Breeding sites of Culicoides pachymerus Lutz in the Magdalena River basin, Colombia

  • María Cristina Carrasquilla,
  • Felipe Guhl,
  • Yaneth Zipa,
  • Cristina Ferro,
  • Raúl Hernando Pardo,
  • Olga Lucía Cabrera,
  • Erika Santamaría

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0074-02762010000200018
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 105, no. 2
pp. 216 – 219

Abstract

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The breeding sites of Culicoides pachymerus are described for the first time in western Boyacá Province, Colombia, where this species is a public health problem. In addition to being a nuisance due to its enormous density and its high biting rates, C. pachymerus cause dermatological problems in the human population. Analysis of microhabitats by the sugar flotation technique and the use of emergence traps allowed us to recover 155 larvae of Culicoides spp and 65 adults of C. pachymerus from peridomiciliary muddy substrates formed by springs of water and constant rainwater accumulation. These important findings could aid in the design of integrated control meas-ures against this pest.

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