Abstract
Characterizing the host-use patterns of mosquitoes is an essential component of understanding the transmission dynamics of mosquito-vectored pathogens. The host associations of two species of the medically important Culex subgenus Melanoconion, Culex atratus, and Culex pilosus are unknown or unclear, respectively. Both species have wide neotropical distributions. In the United States of America (USA), Culex pilosus occurs throughout the southeastern coastal plain, while Culex atratus is restricted to the southern Florida Peninsula. Using PCR-based blood meal analysis, we investigated the host associations of Culex atratus and Culex pilosus that were collected from Everglades National Park, Florida, USA We identified the host species of 208 Culex atratus and 168 Culex pilosus. Both species were narrowly associated with reptilian host species, particularly native and non-native lizards of the genus Anolis. Sampled Culex atratus exclusively fed on reptilian hosts, with >99% of blood meals derived from Anolis lizards. Culex pilosus fed predominantly from reptiles, but avian and mammalian blood meals were also detected. Of these, 92% of blood meals were derived from Anolis species. For both species, Anolis sagrei, an invasive exotic lizard in Florida, was the most frequently detected host species. These data indicate that Culex atratus and Culex pilosus are specialists of reptilian hosts, particularly Anolis lizards.
Highlights
IntroductionThe mosquito species that comprise the Culex subgenus Melanoconion are diverse, distributed throughout the Americas, from Canada to Argentina, and are difficult to morphologically distinguish [1]
The mosquito species that comprise the Culex subgenus Melanoconion are diverse, distributed throughout the Americas, from Canada to Argentina, and are difficult to morphologically distinguish [1].Of the 160 described Melanoconion species, most are Neotropical in distribution with a center of diversity in the Amazonian Region of northern South America [1]
Ten species of Melanoconion occur in the continental United States of America (USA) and eight of these are present in Florida [2]
Summary
The mosquito species that comprise the Culex subgenus Melanoconion are diverse, distributed throughout the Americas, from Canada to Argentina, and are difficult to morphologically distinguish [1]. Of the 160 described Melanoconion species, most are Neotropical in distribution with a center of diversity in the Amazonian Region of northern South America [1]. Ten species of Melanoconion occur in the continental United States of America (USA) and eight of these are present in Florida [2]. Several Melanoconion species are vectors or putative vectors of pathogenic arboviruses. Aside from the known or suspected pathogen vectors, the biology and ecology of the majority of Melanoconion species have not been well characterized. We investigated the host associations of two Melanoconion species in southern Florida, Culex atratus Theobald and Culex pilosus (Dyar & Knab), both of the Melanoconion Section, Atratus Group and Pilosus Group, respectively [8]
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