Culicidae assemblages of artificial containers and possible biotic interactions affecting Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Argentina

Abstract

In Argentina, the distribution of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) is limited to two provinces with a subtropical climate and few records. This study aims to describe and compare assemblies of Culicidae that breed in artificial containers in two areas with different degrees of urbanisation where Ae. albopictus is present and to evaluate possible biotic interactions. We sampled container larval habitats of an urban (Eldorado city) and a rural environment (Colonia Aurora village). We performed generalized linear mixed models to evaluate which variables (containers characteristics or environment) are associated with the presence and abundance of Ae. albopictus, Aedes aegypti Linneaus and Culex quinquefasciatus Say, and the presence of mosquito predators (Lutzia bigoti (Bellardi) and Toxorhynchites spp.). Also, the relationship between the most abundant species was quantified in each environment using Hurlbert's C8 association coefficient. Ae. aegypti was the most abundant species in the urban environment, while Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. albopictus were the most abundant in the rural area. Predators were more present in the rural environment and affected the abundance of Aedes mosquitoes. Regarding the C8 index, Ae. aegypti was negatively associated with Ae. albopictus in the urban area, whereas in the rural area these species presented a significantly positive relationship. These results show that in urban environments the high abundance of Ae. aegypti could be affecting the Asian tiger mosquito as evidenced by local studies of food larval competition. Also a greater presence of predators could be affecting Ae. albopictus in rural environments.