New records of Sabethini (Diptera: Culicidae) from Colombia

Abstract Background In the Neotropical Region, the mosquitoes, grouped in the tribe Sabethini (Arthropoda, Insecta, Diptera: Culicidae) are considered of medical importance by the role that some species may have in arbovirus transmission; also, because they are good bioindicators. More than 400 species are currently recognised and are mainly associated with forest areas. The tribe Sabethini is poorly studied and the information about diversity and distribution for species relating to it is scarce. In Colombia, 54 species of the tribe are known; however, several geographical areas have not been included in the studies for this group and data for recent field collections are not available; therefore, the records are outdated. New information This study presents the species list of the Sabethini tribe in Colombia, based on a review of previous publications and recent unpublished data. The list includes 68 species of nine genera and 16 subgenera. The genus Wyeomyia has the highest species number (39), followed by Sabethes (14). A total of 29 new records are registered and actualized information related to the local distribution in some Departments is presented, including geographic coordinates. In this paper, the distribution records of Sabethini for Colombia are updated, revealing the high diversity of this group in the country and providing some useful information for species that may need surveillance or control.


Wyeomyia (Dendromyia) jocosa (Dyar & Knab, 1908)
Distribution: Valle del Cauca: Buenaventura [Chocó-Darién Moist Forests]. Barreto and Vernon (1969), Knight and Stone (1977). Notes: Reported by Barreto and Vernon (1969), Knight and Stone (1977). A total of 68 species and 16 subgenera were recognised. Wyeomyia was the genus with the highest number of species (39). This genus exhibits the greatest number of species in the tribe (139) and, according to authorities, is prioritized for a taxonomic revision. Although Wyeomyia is divided into 17 subgenera, 29 species are without subgeneric placement (Harbach 2014, Pereira et al. 2019. Sabethini have been recorded in 19 of the 32 Departments of Colombia (Fig. 1) (Suppl. material 1). According to the literature review and the author's fieldwork, the genus Trichoprosopon exhibits the highest political distribution.

Data indicate Wyeomyia occurs in 12 ecoregions. Chocó-Darién Moist Forests and Cauca
Valley Montane Forests included the greatest number of species of this genus with a total of 26 and 19, respectively. Remarkably, Wyeomyia was the unique genus present in mangrove ecoregions. Limatus exhibit a wide distribution with presence in 10 ecoregions. This genus is represented by two species in the country, L. asulleptus and L. durhamii, the last one exhibiting the most cosmopolitan distribution in the tribe with presence in eight ecoregions.
Species of the genus Sabethes are involved in the transmission of very important arobovirus, such as yellow fever and Mayaro virus (Barrett and Higgs 2007, Muñoz and Navarro 2012; however, species of Trichoprosopon, Limatus and Wyeomyia genera are important in the transmission of lesser-known viruses, such as Pixuna, Kairi, Ilheus, Guama and Caraparu (de Rodaniche and Galindo 1961, Karabatsos 1985. Despite the growing importance in Colombia due to ecological and epidemiological changes, studies considering Sabethini distribution (Suaza-Vasco et al. 2015) and arbovirus transmission (Groot Liévano 2017) are limited.
In this study, the ecoregions with high numbers of Sabethini species contain known or suspected vector species. In Chocó Darien Moist Forests, an annual average of 16,000 mm precipitation (WWF 2015) may favour the existence of the phytotelmata used as breeding places for species, such as J. ulopus ( Consoli and Oliveira 1994)  The Cauca Valley Montane Forests exhibit humid forest of the lower elevations (<1500 ma.s.l.) (WWF 2015) and have species, such as J. ulopus and L. durhamii known as the vectors of Venezuelan equine encephalitis and Caraparu virus (Aitken 1972; Sa. chloropterus and Sa. glaucodaemon the vectors of yellow fever (Monath 1988); T. compressum the potential vector of Guama virus , as well as T. pallidiventer and T. digitatum.
The Apure-Villavicencio Dry Forest is a transition zone between montane forests and extensive plains, composed of a mosaic of premontane forests, dry forests, savannah and gallery forests with low annual precipitation (WWF 2015). In this area are present potential vectors, such as J. ulopus, L. assulleptus, L. durhamii, Sa. cyaneus, Sa. chloropterus, T. compressum and T. digitatum. The Caquetá Moist Forest is part of Colombia Amazon with large expanses of seasonally-flooded forests (WWF 2015), where species of Sabethes with sylvatic preferences, such as Sa. belisarioi the vector of Ilhéus virus (Gravina et al. 2018), Sa. cyaneus, Sa. chloropterus and Sa. glaucodaemon, are present. Limatus durhamii is also registered in this zone. The Magdalena Urabá Moist Forest is a region characterized by dry forests and wetland vegetation on flooded soils (WWF 2015) with data indicating the presence of species, such as L. durhamii; Sa. cyaneus; T. compressum and T. digitatum.
Two potential new species of the genus Trichoprosopon are mentioned in the distribution records (Suppl. material 1). They are named Trichoprosopon sp. n.e. A and Trichoprosopon sp. n.e. B. Both "species" are considered to be part of the T. pallidiventer complex (Suaza-Vasco et al. 2015). According to Zavortink (1981), some species of this complex can be sympatric. This was evidenced, based on revision of entomological material by the authors (not published data, including detailed morphological study of characters present in male genitalia, larvae and distribution records).
This work does not represent the complete distribution of the Sabethini tribe in Colombia, but it constitutes a first approximation to the more complete knowledge of the group in Colombia, including species and distribution. We consider ongoing studies to be relevant and intend to conduct a review of the material deposited in the entomological collections of museums and entities dedicated to the sampling of the Culicidae family for public health studies.