RESUMO
Lutzia mosquitoes (Theobald, 1903) are predaceous during their larval stages, but the adult feeding is not clearly understood, especially in relation to blood feeding. In case these mosquitoes are harmless to humans and related animals, they can be useful in biological control of mosquito vectors of pathogens. Investigating the midgut morphology is a good strategy to understand the feeding behavior of this species. The midgut in Lutzia bigoti Bellardi, 1862 displays two distinct portions, a thin anterior midgut and a more dilated posterior midgut. Digestive cells form a single epithelium in the midgut. These cells have long and packed microvilli at their apex and membrane infoldings at their basal portion, the basal labyrinth. The epithelium is supported by a basal lamina. Regarding their cytoplasm, it is noteworthy the abundance of mitochondria, distributed in an apical-basal fashion, and also a whirl-shaped endoplasmic reticulum in the posterior midgut. Basal cells are also found in the midgut of L. bigoti, resembling regenerative cells. The general organization of L. bigoti's midgut closely resembles that of numerous hematophagous mosquitoes previously documented. However, it diverges due to the presence of a peritrophic matrix even when exclusively fed on sugary solutions. Peculiar aspects of L. bigoti's midgut are discussed and compared to those of other mosquito species.
Assuntos
Culicidae , Comportamento Alimentar , Animais , Comportamento Alimentar/fisiologia , Culicidae/anatomia & histologia , Culicidae/fisiologia , Trato Gastrointestinal/anatomia & histologia , Trato Gastrointestinal/fisiologia , Sistema Digestório/anatomia & histologia , FemininoRESUMO
En el presente trabajo se reporta por primera vez para el estado Bolívar la presencia de Culex (Lutzia) bigoti Bellardi. Con este nuevo registro la distribución geográfica de esta especie en Venezuela incluye hasta ahora doce (12) estados y el Distrito Federal
In this work we report for the first time the presence of Culex (Lutzia) bigoti Bellardi in Bolivar state. With this new record the geographical distribution of this species in Venezuela include so far twelve (12) states and the Distrito Federal