Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in oviposition traps set in forest fragments of a semideciduous seasonal forest, Atlantic Forest domain, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract This study aimed to compare the mosquito fauna found in three remnant forest fragments of a semideciduous seasonal forest by using oviposition traps in the northwestern region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Between 2018 and 2019, larvae were collected quarterly in three forest fragments, one situated in an urban area, another in a rural area close to the city and a third formed by an extensive area of n ative forest far from the urban environment. Four species were caught: Aedes terrens (Walker, 1856) (282), Limatus durhamii Theobald, 1901 (30), Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) (23) and Toxorhynchites theobaldi (Dyar and Knab, 1906) (6). The Morisita-Horn index indicated a high similarity between the fragments studied (>80%). The mean number of mosquitoes collected in the rural area was significantly higher than in the other areas (F = 6.073; d.f. = 17; p <0.05). The calculation of the phi coefficient to assess the co-occurrence of two species in the same trap did not indicate significant values (p> 0.05). Aedes terrens demonstrated a good ability to colonize and inhabit the different types of forest fragments studied. In addition, the forest fragment located in a rural area close to the urban area offered conditions for the survival of species of wild and urban mosquitoes, such as Ae. aegypti.