Copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda) as agents of biological control of Aedes mosquito larvae (Diptera: Culicidae) in Chiapas, Mexico

We identified species of copepods in natural mosquito breeding sites in the region of Soconusco, Chiapas, Mexico and compared their predatory ability on first instar larvae of Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus. Four sampling sites were selected: two in the coastal area and two in the bottom of the mountain. Copepods were cultured in the laboratory and identified. The species found were: Mesocyclops pehpeiensis (Hu, 1943), M. longisetus (Thiebaud, 1912), M. brasilianus (Kiefer, 1933), Macrocyclops albidus (Jurine, 1820), Eucyclops leptacanthus (Kiefer, 1956), and E. torresphilipi (Suarez-Morales, 2004). With the exception of E. leptacanthus, all collected species of copepods were successfully cultured in the laboratory. The predation potential was experimentally evaluated using a copepod female adult and 20 first-instar mosquito larvae. The copepod species showed varying percentages of predation, M. pehpeiensis being the one with the greatest predation potential (80% of A. aegypti and 67% A. albopictus per day). Eucyclops torresphilipi showed no differences with respect to the control, so it can be considered as a non-predatory species. Predation tests show that the copepods present in natural mosquito breeding sites have the potential to be used as agents of biological control of mosquito larvae and are a good alternative to be considered in integrated vector management strategies of dengue fever in the region of Soconusco, State of Chiapas, Mexico.