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Mosquito Studies in Belize, Central America: Records, Taxonomic Notes, and a Checklist of Species

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Mosquito Studies in Belize, Central America: Records, Taxonomic Notes, and a Checklist of Species Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 18(4):241-276, 2002 Copyright ¸ 2002 by the American Mosquito Control Association,Inc. MOSQUITO STUDIES IN BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA: RECORDS, TAXONOMIC NOTES, AND A CHECKLIST OF SPECIES JAMES E. PECOR, 2 RALPH E. HARBACH, • E. L. PEYTON, TMDONALD R. ROBERTS, 5 ELISKA REJMANKOVA, • SYLVIE MANGUIN •.7 ^ND JORGE PALANKO s ABSTRACT Data I¾ommosquito collections made in Belize, Central America, betweenSeptember 1990 and April 1993 are presented.A total of 537 collectionsyielding 15,139 specimens are summarized.One genus,4 subgenera,and 31 speciesare recordedfrom Belize for the 1st time. A checklistof the 111 mosquitospecies now known to occur in Belize is presented. KEY WORDS Culicidae, mosquitoes,checklist, Belize, distribution, bionomics INTRODUCTION on the mosquito fauna from Central America; how- ever, few studies have been conducted in Belize This report summarizes information obtained (Ward 1982). Early reports on the mosquito fauna during extensive mosquito surveys in Belize, Cen- in Belize include those of Komp (1940a, 1940b), tral America, conducted between September 1990 which 1st documented the presence of Anopheles and April 1993. The surveys were conductedas a darlingi Root in Central America; Kumm and Ram collaborative project between the Department of Entomology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Re- (1941), which summarizeddata on the biology, dis- search,Silver Spring, MD; the Division of Preven- tribution, and sporozoiteinfection rates of 6 anoph- tive Medicine and Biometrics, Uniformed Services eline species; and Galindo and Trapido (1967), University of the Health Sciences,Bethesda, MD; which described Haemagogus aeritinctus based on and the Ministry of Health, Belize City, Belize. The specimenscollected in mangrove swamps in north- objectives were to provide baseline ecological and ern Belize. Bertram (1971) conducted the most ex- faunistic data to supportlong-term ecological stud- tensive study of the mosquito fauna in Belize, and ies of malaria vectors in the coastalregions of Cen- provided a detailed summary of the biology, ecol- tral America and to obtain taxonomicspecimens for ogy, and distribution for 65 species encountered comparative morphological studies. during arboviral studies in 1967. A small voucher Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, is seriesfrom this study, consistingof approximately bordered on the north by Mexico, on the west and 300 adults (none with associatedlarval or pupal south by Guatemala, and on the east by the Carib- exuviae) subsequentlywas examined and reported bean Sea. With a land area of approximately22,969 on by Heinemann and Belkin (1977). km2 (8,866 mi2), Belize has the lowest population Additional notations on the mosquito fauna in density of any country in Central America. Belize Belize also have been included as part of wider is divided into 6 districts: Belize, Cayo, Corozal, regional faunistic or revisionary studies, including Orange Walk, Sthnn Creek, and Toledo. Elevation Theobald (1901a, 190lb), Howard et al. (1917), ranges from sea level to 1,122 m, with most of the Martini (1935), Schick (1970a, 1970b), Zavortink land area below 500 m. The climate is generally (1972), Strickman and Pratt (1989), and Wilkerson warm tropical, with yearly rainfall from 1,200 to and Strickman (1990). At the start of this study, 80 3,800 mm (Hartshorn et al. 1984). speciesrepresenting 18 genera were known in the Several comprehensivereports have been made fauna of Belize. Selected specimensaccumulated during our sur- • The views of the authors do not purport to reflect the veys have been included in reports on the biology, views of the Department of Defense. taxonomy, and genetics for certain species of 2Department of Entomology,Walter Reed Army Insti- Anopheles Meigen. Rejmankova et al. (1993) sum- tute of Research,Silver Spring, MD 20910-7500. marized the ecology and distribution of larval • Department of Entomology,The Natural History Mu- Anopheles in northern Belize; Roberts et al. (1993) seum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, United King- dom. presented preliminary data on malaria vectors in 4 Deceased. southern Belize; Harbach et al. (1993) examined •Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, morphological variation of adult An. darlingi; Man- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, guin et al. (1995, 1996b) provided a biological and Bethesda, MD 20814. biochemical evaluation of populationsof Anopheles 6Department of Environmental Science and Policy, pseudopunctipennis Theobald; Manguin et al. University of California, Davis, CA 95616. (1996a) characterized larval habitats of An. darlin- 7 Present address:CBGP-IRD, 911 Avenue Agropolis, BP 5045, 34032 Montpellier Cedex 1, France. gi; and Manguin et al. (1999) examined population sEpidemiologic Research Center, Belize City, Belize, structures of An. darlingi in Central and South Central America. America. 241 242 JOURNALOF THE AMERICAN MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION VOL. 18, No. 4 MATERIALS AND METHODS lections made in the southernmost district of Toledo (BHZ 365-516) were conducted during the wet Emphasis was placed on the collection of larvae seasonof August-September 1992. Additional mis- with the intention of obtaining adults with associ- cellaneous collections (BHZ 517-537) were made ated larval and pupal exuviae. Surveys were con- by various investigators between September 1992 ducted during both the wet and dry seasons. Al- and May 1993. though the primary goal of the field studies was to Detailed descriptions of the 537 collections are survey and characterize anopheline habitats, larvae given in Appendix 1. The collections yielded a total and pupae were collected from all habitat types en- of 15,139 specimens, including 5,586 adults, 3,070 countered. Collections were conducted during the larval exuviae, 5,269 pupal exuviae, 704 larvae, wet season in 1990, 1992, and 1993, and during the and 510 slide preparations of adult genitalia, rep- dry seasonin 1991. Data from each collection were resenting 90 species from 17 genera and 26 sub- recorded on standard forms (Faran et al. 1985). genera. One genus, 4 subgenera, and 31 speciesare Fourth-stage larvae and pupae were individually new occurrence records for Belize. Twenty-one reared to the adult stage and associated immature species not encountered during our field studies exuviae were preserved in 80% ethanol. Fourth- stagelarvae also were preservedfrom as many spe- were previously recorded from Belize. Thus, the cies as possible. Adults were killed in ethyl acetate total number of speciesnow known to occur in the vapor and mounted on points on pins. Immature country is 111 (Table 2). The distribution for the stages were subsequentlymounted in euparal on 90 species collected in Belize during our surveys microscope slides. Male genitalia were dissected is summarized by collection number and district in when necessary to assist identification. Specimens Appendix 2. Taxonomic notes for 32 species are were identified to species by using the most recent provided below. The notes summarize new distri- keys, descriptions,and revisionary studies available bution records, species associations,ecological and (see taxonomic notes for individual references). locality data, and undescribed life stages encoun- The anatomical terminology used below follows tered. Abbreviations used in the taxonomic notes that of Harbach and Knight (1980). include M, male; E female; Pe, pupal exuviae; Le, Changes made to the generic and subgeneric larval exuviae; L, larva; and Mg, male genitalia. classification of Culicidae since the publication of Taxonomic authorities and complete scientific A Catalog of the Mosquitoes of the World (Knight names are given in Table 2. and Stone 1977) and its supplements(Knight 1978; Specimens obtained during the field studies are Ward 1984, 1992; Gaffigan and Ward 1985) that deposited at the Department of Entomology, Na- apply to the mosquito fauna of Belize are followed tional Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Smith- here. These include the description of Phenacomyia sonian Institution, Washington, DC. as a new subgenusof Culex Linnaeus (Harbach and Peyton 1992), elevation of Isostomyia Coquillett to generic rank from subgeneric statuswithin Runcho- TAXONOMIC NOTES myia Theobald (Harbach and Peyton 1993), redef- Culex (Aneodioporpa) restrictor Dyar and Knab inition of subgenusDendromyia Theobald of Wyeo- myia Theobald that left several species without This is a new occurrence record for Belize. The subgeneric placement (Motta and Louren9o-de- speciescan be readily separated(in all stages)from Oliveira 1995), resurrection of Hystatomyia Dyar other members of the subgenusAneodioporpa by as a subgenusof Wyeomyia (Judd 1998), separation using the keys provided by Berlin and Belkin of genus Ochlerotatus Lynch Arribalzaga (along (1980). Its known distribution is from Mexico to with various subgenera) from Aedes Meigen (Re- Venezuela. We collected larvae of Cx. restrictor inert 2000), and recognition of Deinocerites Theo- from a bamboo stump and artificial containers. Spe- bald as a subgenus of Culex (Navarro and Liria cies collected in associationwith this speciesinclude 2000). Abbreviations for generic and subgeneric Oc. (How.)cozumelensis, Tx. (Lyn.) theobaMi, Wy. names are those of Reinert (2001). aporonoma, and Wy. (Wyo.) celaenocephala. Mate- rial examined: 17 M, 14 F, 29 Le, 31 Pe, and 4 Mg. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A total of 537 collections (designated BHZ1- Culex (Culex) childesteri Dyar 537)
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