Our objective was to study and evaluate the richness and diversity of Phlebotominae fauna in the Duas Bocas Biological Reserve (DBBR) in the state of Espírito Santo, in southeastern Brazil. Sand fly collections were carried out during four consecutive nights each month between August 2007 and July 2008 at DBBR by using CDC automatic light traps and an illuminated Shannon trap. Specific richness (S) and Shannon diversity index (H) was calculated for each trap. We collected 18,868 sand flies belonging to 29 species and 13 genera. Nyssomyia yuilli yuilli was the most abundant species followed by Psychodopygus ayrozai, Ps. hirsutus, Psathyromyia pascalei, and Ps. matosi. We recorded Brumptomyia cardosoi, Br. troglodytes, and Ps. geniculatus for the first time in the state of Espírito Santo. We discuss the differences in diversity and richness of the sand flies in both traps and in relation to other Brazilian localities and biomes. We also discuss the possibility of wild transmission of Leishmania in the DBBR and the influence of the sand fly species in leishmaniasis transmission to the adjacent areas of the reserve. Journal of Vector Ecology 35 (2): 325-332. 2010.

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Lutzomyia França is the largest and most diverse sand fly genus in the New World and contains all the species involved in the transmission of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL). Morphological characters were used to test the monophyly and to infer phylogenetic relationships among members of the Lutzomyia subgenus. Fifty-two morphological characters from male and female adult specimens belonging to 18 species of Lu. (Lutzomyia) were scored and analyzed. The resulting phylogeny confirms the monophyly of this subgenus and reveals four main internal clades. These four clades, however, do not support the classification of the subgenus in two series, longipalpis and cavernicola, because neither is necessarily monophyletic. Knowledge on phylogenetic relationships among these relevant vectors of AVL should be used as a tool for monitoring target taxa and a first step for establishing an early warning system for disease control.

Lutzomyia França is the largest and most diverse sand fly genus in the New World and contains all the species involved in the transmission of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL). Morphological characters were used to test the monophyly and to infer phylogenetic relationships among members of the Lutzomyia subgenus. Fifty-two morphological characters from male and female adult specimens belonging to 18 species of Lu. (Lutzomyia) were scored and analyzed. The resulting phylogeny confirms the monophyly of this subgenus and reveals four main internal clades. These four clades, however, do not support the classification of the subgenus in two series, longipalpis and cavernicola, because neither is necessarily monophyletic. Knowledge on phylogenetic relationships among these relevant vectors of AVL should be used as a tool for monitoring target taxa and a first step for establishing an early warning system for disease control.

-This paper describes sand flies similar to Nyssomyia intermedia (Lutz & Neiva) with variations in the number of spines at the gonostyle and tests the hypothesis whether these specimens belong or not to N. intermedia species. Using Principal Component Analysis and Neighbour Joining, the measurements of 15 structures of the phlebotomine with variations in number of spines were compared with measurements of 30 sand flies of N. intermedia species. Both analyses didn't cluster the specimens with variation in spines number in one group and provided evidence to the hypothesis that those sand flies belong to N. intermedia.

Mosquitoes comprehend a group with a major impact on public health, because some species transmit parasites vertebrate hosts. Comparative studies between preserved environment and disturbed areas provide important epidemiological information, due to the major knowledge on species populational dynamics and the possibility of a contact between vector species and human population. This work aims to characterize and compare the fauna of mosquitoes in the Goytacazes National Forest (GNF) and surrounding area, in the State of Espírito Santo, in Brazil. Collections occurred simultaneously in a preserved environment and in a peridomicile, from 15:00 to 18:00, between July 2008 and May 2009. In each environment, it was used a modified trap of Shannon type. As a result, 1,490 specimens from 14 genera and 19 identified species were collected. The species diversity (H = 1.95), species richness (S = 17), equitability index (J = 0.68) and the number of collected specimens (n = 1,100) were higher in the forest environment. The plentiful species were respectively Aedes (Ochlerotatus) scapularis (Rondani, 1848), Culex (Culex) nigripalpus Theobald, 1901 and Aedes (Ochlerotatus) fulvus (Wiedemann, 1828). Our results demonstrate that the occurrence of vector species in this region increases the potential risk of diverse arboviruses occurrence, especially wild-type yellow fever.

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