Arthropods collected from aircraft at Piarco International Airport, Trinidad, West Indies

ABSTRACT

Insects were collected and identified from local and foreign aircraft entering Piarico International Airport, Trinidad, West Indies. Nine hundred and sixty seven specimens were collected from 592 aircraft. The specimens collected represented eight taxonomic orders and 25 families. Aedes aegypti, an important vector of dengue and urban yellow fever, and Anopheles albimanus, a non-indigenous malaria vector were among those collected. Musca domestica, the house fly, was by far the most abundant insect in the collection, accounting for over 83 percent of the total catch. The need to maintain entomological surveillance at airports and seaports was encouraged. (AU)