Mosquito fauna (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Ria Celestún Biosphere Reserve (RCBR) with a new record for Yucatán, México

Inventorying mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) in protected natural areas is important since these locations receive a high level of tourism and it could be relevant to public health. The aim of this work was to determine mosquito fauna in several habitat types of the Ria Celestún Biosphere Reserve (RCBR). In the wet season, adult mosquitoes were captured using a cross-sectional sampling method in October and November 2024. A total of 3755 individuals in 17 species and six genera were captured. Aedes taeniorhynchus was the most abundant mosquito and was found in all sample sites. The disturbed vegetation area had the most species captured ( n = 12), followed by the islet “Isla de los Pájaros” and the floodable area, both with seven mosquito species. Anopheles gabaldoni Vargas, 1941, represents a new mosquito species record for the state of Yucatán. Eight species are new records for RCBR: Aedes scapularis ( Rondani, 1848 ) , Aedes angustivittatus Dyar & Knab, 1907, An. gabaldoni , Anopheles punctipennis (Say, 1823), Anopheles vestitipennis Dyar & Knab, 1906, Culex nigripalpus Theobald, 1901, Mansonia titillans (Walker, 1848), and Uranotaenia lowii Theobald, 1901. We contributed three genetic sequences of mosquitoes to GenBank: Ae. angustivittatus , An. vestitipennis , and Coquillettidia venezuelensis (Theobald, 1912). The study documented the presence of new mosquito species in the nature reserve; some are competent vectors of arboviruses.