Results are presented on mosquito catches performed between january 1982 and March 1983, in Granjas Calábria, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in order to evaluate their host preferences. We used six baits, man, horse, cow, sheep, cock and toad. Horse attracted the greatest number of mosquitoes, followed by cow, man, cock and sheep, no mosquito fed on toad. man was the bait which attracted the largest number of species. Most local species were definetely zoophilic - An. albitarsis, An. aquasalis, Ae. scapularis, Ae. taeniorhynchus, Cq. venezuelensis, Ma. titillans, Ps. ciliata, ph. davisi and Ph. deanei preferred mainly horse and cow, while the species of Culex of subgenus Culex preferred avian blood, and those of subgenus Microculex showed a marked preference to fed on a toad, in our laboratory experiments. Ma. titillans was the most abundant mosquito on all baits, being hightly ecletic. Catches were carried out monthlt, indoors and outdoors, from August 1981 to july 1982 in order to study the house frequency. The local species rarely invaded the house. Ma. titillans, Ae. scapularis, Ae. taeniorhynchus and Cx. saltanenesis were occasionally found inside human dwellings but were much more frequently caught outdoors. An. aquasalis and Cx. quinquefasciatus showed to be the most domestic.
mosquitoes; Culicidae; ecology; host preferences; indoors frequency; Rio de Janeiro