Sabethes chloropterus, (von Humboldt, 1819)

Neves, Maycon Sebastião Alberto Santos, Motta, Monique Albuquerque, Maciel-De-Freitas, Rafael, Xavier, Alexandre Da Silva, Lourenço-De-Oliveira, Ricardo & Silva-Do-Nascimento, Teresa Fernandes, 2024, Illustrated identification key to females of the genus Sabethes Robineau-Desvoidy recorded from Brazil (Diptera: Culicidae), in dichotomous and interactive formats, including an updated list of species and new records for the states, Zootaxa 5406 (2), pp. 253-287 : 266-267

chloropterus ( von Humboldt, 1819)

(subgenus Sabethoides )

Type locality. Guayaquil River , near Borodan, Ecuador.

Bionomics. Immature stages of this species occur mainly in tree holes with a small opening ( Galindo et al. 1956b), but they have been collected in sapucaia nut oviposition traps ( Vieira et al. 2020). The larvae are facultative predators ( Galindo 1957, 1958), observed preying on Wyeomyia arthrostigma ( Lutz, 1905) in bamboo traps ( Navarro & Machado-Allison 1995). Females are considered to be anthropophilic ( Guimarães et al. 1987). They can be easily collected biting humans in forest and at forest edges, both near ground level and in the canopy ( Bates 1944; Forattini 1965; Pinheiro et al. 1981; Clark-Gil & Darsie 1983; Abreu et al. 2019; Stanzani et al. 2023), and in CDC light traps ( Pecor et al. 2000).

Arbovirus infection records. This species is usually considered to be a secondary vector of YFV in Central and South America, where it has been found naturally infected with the virus several times ( Galindo et al. 1956a; Rodaniche & Galindo 1957b; Rodaniche et al. 1957; Forattini 1965; Dégallier et al. 1992; Vasconcelos et al. 1997, 1998; Abreu et al. 2019; Stanzani et al. 2023). It is responsible for maintaining YFV transmission during the dry season, when the primary vectors of the genus Haemagogus Williston, 1896 disappear or are very rare ( Oliveira et al. 2023). Sabethes chloropterus has also been detected naturally infected with St. Louis and Ilheus encephalitis viruses ( Rodaniche & Galindo 1957a; Galindo et al. 1959; Hervé et al. 1986).

Occurrence in Brazil. All Brazilian states, except Santa Catarina ( Lane & Cerqueira 1942; Lane 1953; Pinheiro et al. 1981; Guimarães & Arlé 1984; Guimarães et al. 1985; Forattini et al. 1986a, 1986b, 1973; Guimarães & Victório 1986; Guimarães et al. 1987; Xavier & Mattos 1989; Xavier et al. 1989; Carvalho et al. 1997; Vasconcelos et al. 1997; Dégallier et al. 1998; Fernandéz et al. 2000; Forattini 2002; Camargo-Neves et al. 2005; Hutchings et al. 2005; Gomes et al. 2008; Santos et al. 2008; Pinto et al. 2009; Dos Santos Silva et al. 2010; Alencar et al. 2011, 2018; Moreno et al. 2011; Ribeiro et al. 2012; Lira-Vieira et al. 2013; Mascheretti et al. 2013; Mucci et al. 2015; Serra et al. 2016; Abreu et al. 2019; Cunha et al. 2019; Stanzani et al. 2023).

Occurrence in other countries. Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Panama, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela ( Wilkerson et al. 2021).