Characterization of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) fauna in a mountainous area dominated by banana cultivation and ecotourism practices in the State of Ceará, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: to characterize the fauna of Culicoides sp., in some municipalities of a mountainous region, located in the north of the state of Ceará, where subsistence agriculture and the development of ecotourism predominate, after the confirmation of human cases of Oropouche fever in the year 2024. Methods: The specimens were collected from peridomestic environments in rural areas of municipalities in the Baturité Massif region, after confirmed cases of Oropouche fever, and in an adjacent area with a Non-Human Primate epizootic in the municipality of Maranguape in 2024, thrugh manual collections and in CDC-type light traps set from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM. The collected specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol and identified using classical taxonomy. Results: 282 individuals of the species Culicoides paraensis and one C. insignis were captured in the Oropouche fever outbreak region, in the adjacent area with a Non-Human Primate epizootic, 42 C. ocumarensis, three C. limai, two C. paraensis, two C. insignis, and one C. leopoldoi were identified. The species C. ocumarensis was recorded for the first time in the state of Ceará. Conclusion: In the outbreak region, the fauna was entirely composed of C. paraensis, the primary vector of Oropouche fever, suggesting the possible autochthonous transmission of human cases recorded in the region.