The use of an animal-baited net trap for collecting mosquitoes during western equine encephalitis investigations in Argentina.

A large net trap was used to sample mosquito populations attracted to horses at three sites each in Santa Fe and Rio Negro Provinces, Argentina, during the austral summer of 1984. These provinces, as well as others in Argentina, were affected by a severe epizootic of western equine encephalitis (WEE) during 1982-83. Totals of 2,752 and 6,929 mosquitoes were collected in Santa Fe and Rio Negro Provinces during five and three trap nights, respectively. Culex mosquitoes of the subgenus Culex were predominant (45.8% of total) in the Santa Fe collections, although Aedes albifasciatus also was prevalent (21.7%). The latter species was predominant (95.7% of total) in the Rio Negro collections. The mosquito fauna was less complex (minimum of 6 species) in Rio Negro Province as compared to Santa Fe Province (minimum of 18 species). The advantages of the net trap indicate that this trap can become a useful tool in arbovirus ecology studies in other areas.