[Bases for control of arthropod vectors: I--Definitions, bioecology of vectors (author's transl)]

Arthropoda form the most diversified and multitudinous phyllum of the animal kingdom. In this "arthropod world", the authors give the respective position of the arthropoda: a) detrimental to crops, b) venomous and noxious for human being, but mainly those who are vectors of human diseases, say about a hundred species. Biological, ecological and environmental main features of the most important arthropod vectors of human tropical diseases are reviewed. Various factors acting on the relation between pathological agent and vector and between vector and man are considered. Importance and complexity of entomological surveys are emphasized with, as a consequence, the necessity of specialized medical entomologists to manage them.