Aranhas urbanas como potenciais predadoras de Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) em ambiente urbano de Uberlândia, MG

Abstract

Aedes aegypti is a vector of multiple pathogens, and massive efforts have been invested to understand its biology and develop control mechanisms. However, understanding how natural enemies of adult mosquitoes may affect their populations is still in its early stages. Spiders, particularly from the Salticidae family, have been suggested to possess the necessary characteristics to exert significant predation pressure on these mosquitoes in urban environments, unlike most other predators. Therefore, this study was dedicated to testing the hypothesis that an increase in spider density, especially Salticidae, is related to a decrease in the Ae. aegypti population. Indeed, we found that the incidence of dengue is negatively related to the general abundance of spiders in the city of Uberlândia, although it was not associated with the abundance of specific spider families, such as Salticidae. Further studies are needed to identify the extent of the direct interaction between spiders and mosquitoes in urban areas and to clarify whether both are affected oppositely by environmental conditions. Despite this, this is the first study to identify an opposing relationship between the spider community and mosquitoes in urban environments. These results thus provide the necessary foundation for the next steps in research in this field. Here, we discuss in more detail which methods will be of special value for understanding these interactions and population control for future studies.