OBJECTIVE: To establish the influence of climatic factors on the monthly frequency of mosquito fauna in areas of the National Park of Serra da Bocaina, Brazil. METHODS: Human bait collections were conducted once a month, in diurnal and nocturnal hours, throughout 24 months, from January 1991 to December 1992. RESULTS: A total of 11,808 adult mosquitoes belonging to 28 different species were collected. Anopheles cruzii, Runchomyia reversa, and Ru. frontosa were the most commonly found species each month. An. cruzii was found mostly from October to February; Ru. reversa and Ru. frontosa predominated in September. An. lutzi, Chagasia fajardoi, Coquillettidia chrysonotum, Aedes serratus, Trichoprosopon simile, Wyeomyia theobaldi, Ru. humboldti, and Ru. theobaldi are the second most prevalent species and they were found mostly throughout the hottest, rainiest and most humid months. Temperature and rainfall have positively influenced the incidence of the majority of the species. CONCLUSIONS: The exuberant and well-preserved tropical forest of Mata Atlântica, rainfalls, and temperatures had a direct and significant contribution to the mosquito fauna in the park. In the months with greater rainfalls, temperatures and humidity, there was an increase in the density and diversity of mosquito species. The period from September to March was the most favorable for their proliferation. In the colder and drier period, from April to August, about 70% of the species showed a significant decline in number, and they were hardly found during these months.
Culicidae; Ecology, vectors; Insect vectors; Tropical ecosystem; Climate; Climatic factors
