Species Composition and Ecological Aspects of Immature Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Phytotelmata in Cantareira State Park, São Paulo, Brazil

Phytotelmata are aquatic microenvironments formed by the accumulation of water and organic matter in cavities of plants. These microenvironments serve as breeding sites for various species of mosquitoes, including some of epidemiological importance. Our objective was to identify the mosquito fauna in these microenvironments and to analyze variations in mosquito fauna diversity between bromeliads, tree holes, and bamboo internodes in Cantareira State Park, São Paulo (CSP), Brazil, where there have been reports of yellow-fever epizootics in non-human primates and circulation of plasmodia. Collections were carried out monthly from February 2015 to April 2017. The bromeliads showed greater mosquito species richness and diversity than the tree holes and bamboo internodes, as well as a very different composition. Of the 11 genera collected and 49 taxa identified, <i>Culex</i> (<i>Carrolia</i>) <i>iridescens</i>, <i>Cx. ocellatus</i>, <i>Cx.</i> (<i>Microculex</i>) imitator, and <i>Anopheles</i> (<i>Kerteszia</i>) <i>cruzii</i> were the most abundant. The phytotelmata in the CSP showed significant differences in species richness, diversity, and composition and were found to support a diverse mosquito fauna to develop, including <i>An. cruzii</i> and the sylvatic yellow fever virus vector <i>Haemagogus leucocelaenus</i>. The finding of these epidemiologically important species highlights the key role played by phytotelma breeding sites as places of refuge and species maintenance for these vectors in green areas close to urban centers.