Distribution of Aedes albopictus (Diptera : Culicidae) in Guatemala, following colonization in 1995

Abstract

Established populations of Aedes albopictus (Sukuse) in Guatemala were first discovered in the Caribbean harbor towns of Puerto Barrios and Puerto de Santo Tomas de Castilla, Department of Izabal, in 1995. We investigated the geographic distribution and seasonal prevalence of this species in Guatemala in 1997. We collected larvae or pupae from artificial water containers in or around houses by random sampling in the dry and rainy seasons (March and August). The distribution of this species is limited to the same area where it was first discovered in 1995. This is very different from the situation in the United States where this species has consistently expanded its distribution. Aedes albopictus in Guatemala prefers to breed in small water containers in urban sites, and its density is higher than that of Ae. aegypti in the rainy season in the limited localities. We could not find Ae. albopictus in villages located along the border with Mexico, Honduras or El Salvador, at harbor towns on the coast of the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic Highway to the City of Guatemala.