[Culicidae in bromeliads: diversity of species by anthropic environments, coastal area of Southeastern Brazil].

Objective: To compare diversity of Culicidae species collected from ground bromeliads in an urban, and periurban area and primitive forest.

Methods: Study carried out in the city of Ilhabela, northern stretch of the coast of the State of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, from March 1998 to July 1999. Fortnightly immature Culicidae collections were undertaken in bromeliad tanks located in urban, and periurban areas, and primitive forest. The frequencies of species collected in the different environments were compared based on the estimated diversity to assess their richness, dominance and variance (ANOVA).

Results: A total of 31,134 immature mosquitoes from seven different genera and 37 species were collected from ground bromeliads. The urban environment had the greatest abundance (14,575 specimens), followed by the periurban (10,987) and then the forest environment (5,572). There were collected 30 species in the urban habitat, 32 in the periurban and 33 in the forest. The most dominant species were: Culex (Microculex) pleuristriatus in the urban and periurban areas, and Culex ocellatus in the forest. There was no difference in the frequency of mosquitoes in bromeliads in the different environments studied using ANOVA (F=0.5564; p=0.5769). The diversity of immature mosquitoes was greater in the forest and similar in the urban and periurban environments.

Conclusions: The specific composition of Culicidae mosquitoes in ground bromeliads was greatly diversified and higher in those located in the forest environment. Cx. (Mcx.) pleuristriatus and Cx. ocellatus were the dominant species.