Research interests
The role of blood-sucking (Culicidae) mosquitoes and biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) in the transmission of avian blood parasites (Haemosporida, Trypanosomatida, Filarioidea), prevalence, seasonality, patterns of development of different species of blood-sucking insects in Lithuanian conditions, detection of naturally infected mosquitoes and biting midges with blood parasites using molecular and traditional research methods, seasonal patterns of natural infections in blood-sucking insects, experimental studies of mosquitoes ability to transmit blood parasites under laboratory conditions.
Annotation of the dissertation
Objective: To evaluate the role of blood-sucking mosquitoes (Culicidae) and biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) in the transmission of avian blood parasites (Haemosporida, Trypanosomatida, Filarioidea).
Tasks:
- To find out the prevalence, seasonality and developmental patterns of different blood-sucking mosquito species in Lithuania.
- To determine naturally infected with avian blood parasites (Haemosporida, Trypanosomatida, Filarioidea) mosquitoes and biting midges using molecular and traditional diagnostic tools.
- To evaluate the regularities of the seasonality of natural infection of blood-sucking insects with blood parasites.
- To perform experimental infections in order to find out the possibilities of certain insects to transmit the blood parasites under laboratory conditions.
Scientific articles published in journals (books), indexed in „Clarivate Analytics Web of Science“ database (without citation index):
- Markevičiūtė, R., Valavičiūtė-Pocienė, K., Rintala, T. (2021) Heterogaster artemisiae Schilling, 1829 (Heteroptera: Heterogastridae) A New species for Lithuania. Bulletin of the Lithuanian Entomological Society, 5, 20-22.
- Valavičiūtė, K., Chagas, C. R. F., & Bernotienė, R. (2020). Data on the biting midges of the genus Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Labanoras Regional Park (Eastern Lithuania). Bulletin of the Lithuanian Entomological Society, 4, 120-124.
2022 11-28 / 12-04. Practice of bloodsucking insect identification, material collecting and storing methods (University of Balearic Islands (UIB), Palma de Mallorca, Spain).
International scientific conferences:
- Valavičiūtė-Pocienė K., Bernotienė R. 2021. Culicoides biting midges: species composition, flying activity and intraspecific diversity – 9th Conference of the Scandinavian–Baltic Society for Parasitology, April 21-23, Vilnius, Lithuania.
- Chagas C. R. F., Hernández-Lara C., Duc M., Valavičiūtė-Pocienė K., Bernotienė R. 2022 Identification of natural vectors of Haemoproteus parasites – 15th International Congress of Parasitology, August 21-26, Kopenhaga, Danija.
- Valavičiūtė-Pocienė K., Bernotienė R. 2022. Seasonal activity of mosquitoes in Lithuania with some notes on their role as vectors of avian malaria – 5th International Conference on Malaria and Related Haemosporidian Parasites of Wildlife, September 5-8, Bielefeld, Vokietija. Book of abstracts: 131.