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Determination of areas of endemism in mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Venezuela, through explicit optimization criteria

Abstract:

The Family Culicidae has been studied extensively because of its importance in veterinary and public health. Several species of this family are vectors of pathogens causing multiple diseases which to generate high rates of morbidity and mortality and numerous economic losses. Studies of the geographical distribution of Culicidae and its historical biogeography analysis will allow us to obtain more knowledge about the natural history and explanations of geological and ecological reasons of the distribution and also the epidemiological patterns of diseases which are involved. The delimitation of areas of endemism (AE) is a crucial initial step for the analysis of historical biogeography and for this we developed a database of 9,610 records in 435 localities, 20 genera and 261 species from Venezuela, map distribution, and explicit analyzes of areas of endemism (AE) and parsimonious of endemicity (PAE) software NDM / VNDM. The records compiled of Culicidae are mainly distributed in the north of the country, with particular distributions to mountainous or Guayana Shield region, among others. The results suggest the proposal of three endemism areas for mosquitoes: Guayana Shield-Pantepui, North-Central Region and Andean mountains cordillera, which are concordant with recent and ancestral areas of the geological history of the country.