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The Use of Crotalaria As Possible Indirect Agent to Control Aedes Aegypti L

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The Use of Crotalaria As Possible Indirect Agent to Control Aedes Aegypti L doi:10.12741/ebrasilis.v13.e859 e-ISSN 1983-0572 Publication of the project Entomologistas do Brasil www.ebras.bio.br Creative Commons Licence v4.0 (BY-NC-SA) Copyright © EntomoBrasilis Copyright © Author(s) Scientific Note The use of crotalaria as possible indirect agent to control Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae) Barbara Clara Schneider , Adriana Maria Meneghetti & Denise Lange Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Santa Helena, Brazil. EntomoBrasilis 13: e859 (2020) Edited by: Abstract. Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae) is a vector of arboviruses associated with dengue, William Costa Rodrigues chikungunya, zika and yellow fever. Based on empirical knowledge, plants belonging to genus Crotalaria (Fabaceae) attract dragonflies, which are the main natural predator to A. aegypti and help Article History: controlling populations of this mosquito. The aim of the present study is to investigate (i) whether Received: 07.vi.2019 Crotalaria is a food source for A. aegypti and (ii) whether Crotalaria attracts predators to this mosquito, Accepted: 18.iv.2020 mainly dragonflies. The study was carried out from January to March 2018 in twoCrotalaria spectabilis Published: 02.vii.2020 Roth (Fabaceae) cultivation areas, which covered 100 m2 (each) in Missal County, Paraná State, Corresponding author: Brazil. Samples of all arthropods foraging on C. spectabilis were collected. Observations in situ were carried out to investigate whether A. aegypti individuals visit C. spectabilis flowers. In total, 14,967 Denise Lange arthropods were recorded foraging on C. spectabilis (288 in cultivation area 1 and 14,679 in cultivation [email protected] area 2). Dragonflies and damselflies were recorded foraging on C. spectabilis crops, but no A. aegypti Funding agencies: individual was recorded in active collections and observations in situ. These results indicate that C. spectabilis works as food source and/or place used by several arthropods to find preys. The incidence Without funding declared of dragonflies and damselflies flying in C. spectabilis monocultures indicates that these plants attract dragonflies, as well as thatCrotalaria can help indirectly controlling A. aegypti populations. Keywords: Anisoptera; Biological control; Crotalaria spectabilis; Dragonflies; Mosquito vectors. edes aegypti Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae) is an insect According to empirical knowledge, Crotalaria (Fabaceae) species native to Africa, which has wide geographical plants enable the biological control of A. aegyppti because distribution (COSTA 2001) due to the rapid growth of they supply floral resources to adult mosquitos and attract human populations and urbanization of tropical areas that dragonflies (their predator). Some Brazilian cities, such as lack basic sanitation infrastructure (BRASIL 2008). Adult Aedes Dourados-MS, Missal-PR and Uberaba-MG, have encouraged aegypti individuals feed on both floral nectar and fruit juice the population to grown crotalaria plants in order to help (COSTA 2001). Only females suck blood, which is essential the biological control of A. aegypti. Adult dragonflies live for egg maturation (CONSOLI & OLIVEIRA 1994). Overall, female two months, on average, after spending approximately five culicids lay eggs after each blood meal (CONSOLI & OLIVEIRA 1994). years in water. These efficient predators have a chewing According to BARATA et al. (2001), female A. aegypti individuals mouthpiece that enables them to eat 14% of their weight feed more than once between two successive ovipositions, (GULLAN & CRANSTON 2012). They are polyphagous, since they which increases their likelihood of ingesting and transmitting feed on flies, bees, beetles, wasps, mosquitos and other viruses. This mosquito is capable of transmitting dengue, as dragonflies (COSTA et al. 2012). The peak of adult dragonflies’ well as other arboviruses such as chikungunya, zika and yellow foraging activity in search of prey happens in the hottest fever (GOMES 2016). Zika infection has received significant hours of the day (HAMADA et al. 2014). Dragonflies lay eggs in attention due to severe sequelae, such as microcephaly, the same preferred locations as dengue mosquitos do (i.e., observed in newborn babies. According to the World Health clean water). Hatched nymphs can prey on A. aegypti larvae Organization (WHO), it is necessary interrupting the human- and act as natural mosquito-population controllers (SEBASTIAN vector contact in order to prevent and, consequently, reduce et al. 1980; MIURA & TAKAHASHI 1988; SATHE & BHUSNAR 2010). the transmission of these arboviruses. Thus, a collective effort comprising health professionals, managers and the Crotalaria genus has approximately 600 species distributed population is necessary to help controlling these diseases in the tropics and subtropics, mainly in the Southern (BRASIL 2009a, b). hemisphere, most of them are observed in Africa. This genus has 30 native and 11 exotic species registered in Brazil Nowadays, the mechanical method is the main way to (FLORES et al. 2016). Plant species belonging to this genus control mosquito vectors of arboviruses, since it focuses on have considerable plasticity and are capable of adapting to directly eliminating both the vector and breeding sites by different environmental conditions. Crotalaria can grow in eliminating standing and uncapped water containers (ZARA several habitat types, such as areas close to rivers, coastal et al. 2016). The use of chemicals, such as larvicides (based hills, sandbanks, edge of forests, fields and savannahs. They on Pyriproxyfen) and insecticides aimed at controlling adult are opportunistic, quite common in altered places such as insects (IOC 2016), is an alternative control method adopted roadsides, and culture invaders (FLORES & MIOTTO 2005). by Ministério da Saúde. Crotalaria is mainly used in agriculture because it is not very www.periodico.ebras.bio.br The use of crotalaria as possible indirect agent to control Aedes aegypti… Schneider et al. (2020) demanding in terms of soil fertility; besides, it has great insect group (DE MARCO 1998). potential to be used for biological nitrogen fixation, as well as presents rapid growth and the ability to reduce the levels Crotalaria spectabilis flowers produced nectar with sugar of some soil nematode species (SILVEIRA & RAVA 2004). It is also concentration of 30.5 ± 7.46% in Brix (mean ± standard used to produce green manure, mulch and soil cover to help deviation) at mean temperature of 28 ºC. The volume of no-tillage systems (SILVEIRA & RAVA 2004). nectar could not be measured with the aid of a microcapillary tubes due to the small amount of it. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether Crotalaria spectabilis Roth is a food source for A. aegypti In total, 14,967 arthropods (288 in area 1 and 14,679 in area and, consequently, attracts predators such as dragonflies. 2) were captured (Table 1). These arthropods belonged to 10 Thus, the use of crotalaria could help controlling A. aegypti orders, 41 families and 93 morphospecies. No A. aegypti or populations. other Culicidae individuals were seen/collected during flower observations in situ and in active collections performed with The study was conducted in Missal County, PR, interspersed entomological net. in two areas of 100 m2 (area 1: 25°02’39.2” S and 54°20’43.6” W; area 2: 25°05’51.9” S and 54°14’49” W) located 12 km apart Area 1 had 137 arthropods visiting C. spectabilis flowers from each other. Area 1 was 400 m away from Itaipu Lake, and area 2 had 277. Coleoptera was the order presenting whereas area 2 was 160m from the municipal artificial lake the highest abundance of individuals visiting flowers - 36 of Missal County. individuals in area 1 and 96 in area 2. Floral visitor Xylocopa frontalis (Oliver) (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae) was Crotalaria spectabilis was planted in October 2017, in both identified in situ in the two evaluated areas. Trigona spinipes areas. The procedure was manually performed based on (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was observed only in area the following parameters: 25-cm spacing between rows 2 while it was visiting C. spectabilis flowers (n = 93 individuals). (deposition of 20 seeds per linear meter), 20-cm spacing between plants, and three centimeters down the ground. Forty-five (45) and 28 dragonflies have visited C. spectabilis Data were collected during plants’ reproductive period, i.e., in areas 2 and 1, respectively. During active collections, 22 from January to March 2018. dragonflies were collected in area 2, although no individual was collected in area 1. Besides the Coenagrionidae Sugar concentration (sucrose equivalents in °Brix) in the individuals captured in active collections, individuals nectar of C. spectabilis flowers was analyzed through belonging to other families, including the ones belonging refractometry, in manual refractometer (Eclipse®) equipped to suborder Anisoptera, were seen in observations in situ. with graduated microcapillaries of 10 µL. In total, 80 flower However, they could not be identified. buds were bagged in “voil” type fabric bags in the late afternoon; nectar was collected at 7:00 am in the following Adult A. aegypti individuals did not forage on crotalaria morning, in the evaluated areas. Eight samples comprising in the two evaluated areas. On the other hand, odonates the nectar of 10 flowers were collected. were found in active collections (area 2) and in observations conducted in both areas. Floral visitors’ behavior was monitored from January to
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