In the present paper we describe the diversity of phlebotomine sandflies collected in three sandstone caves in the municipality of Presidente Figueiredo
A new species of parthenogenetic, autogenic and apparently extremely endemic phlebotomine is described from a sandstone cave located in primary terra firme forest to the North of the city of Manaus. Specimens The caves and other arenitic formations of the municipal district of Presidente Figueiredo are singular relicts of the Palaeozoic (Karmann 1986), surviving between the more recent Amazonian sediments and the ancient rocks of the Guiana Shield. As part of a biological inventory of the area, insects were collected in the darkest recesses of the largest cavern. The purpose of the present communication is to describe a most peculiar phlebotomine, so as to make the name available for studies in progress on its ecology, ontogeny and classification.
MATERIALS AND METHODSStudy area -The cave, known as Gruta Refúgio do Maruaga, is catalogued (AM-0002, Sociedade Brasileira de Espeleologia). It is a cavity 302 m long in white sandstone of the Nhamundá formation (Trombetas group, Palaeozoic Era) at 02º03'02.49"S, 59º57'48.85"W in the municipally of Presidente Figueiredo, state of Amazonas, Brazil (Karmann 1986). Access to the entrance is by steep descent through primary forest from km 6 on the road leading from the BR-174 highway to the hydroelectric station of Balbina. A shallow stream runs through the whole length of the cave, from the interior to the mouth. Vertebrates observed in the cave include fish, amphibians, alligators, turtles and (close to the entrance) cocks-of-the-rock (Cotingidae), but by far the most abundant were diverse species of bats. Thick deposits of guano were present, especially in the final chambers. Although closed to visitors following the detection of pathogenic fungi, the entrance was heavily marked by human footprints.Sampling and identification -CDC miniature light traps were hoisted on poles leaning against the walls of the cave, to give a height of approximately 4 m. Immature stages were extracted from bat guano by flotation according to Hanson (1961). Larvae and pupae were reared according to the methods of Killick-Kendrick et al. (1977) with supplementation of the medium with autoclaved guano. The adults which emerged were offered bloodmeals on anaesthetized mice and hamsters, but did not feed. Conventional clearing with potassium hydroxide and phenol resulted in the collapse of the very delicate spermathecae of this species, so drawings of specimens included in the type series are from individuals freshly dissected and mounted directly in Berlese fluid. Measurements are mean values in mm, with range in parentheses.
INTRODUÇÃO: Em Tomé-Açu, estado do Pará, Brasil, onde as leishmanioses cutânea e visceral são endêmicas, não há estudos sobre a fauna de flebotomíneos, sendo importante compreender o efeito das alterações ambientais no ciclo dessas doenças. OBJETIVO: Realizar um inquérito entomológico no intra e extradomicílio de residências de duas áreas rurais de Tomé-Açu com casos de leishmanioses notificados. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Capturas entomológicas foram realizadas durante os meses de setembro e outubro de 2014 (seca) e de março de 2015 (chuvoso), em casas de duas áreas rurais do município, Ubim e Vila Socorro, utilizando armadilhas luminosas tipo CDC. RESULTADOS: Um total de 1.129 flebotomíneos foi capturado. Os espécimes foram agrupados em 12 gêneros e 35 espécies, com predomínio de Lutzomyia longipalpis (35,0%; 395), principal vetor de Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum. Embora menos frequentes, outras espécies importantes na transmissão das leishmanias causadoras da leishmaniose cutânea também foram capturadas, tais como Bichromomyia flaviscutellata, Nyssomyia antunesi, Psychodopygus davisi, Psychodopygus carrerai, Lutzomyia gomezi e Nyssomyia whitmani. A quantidade de flebotomíneos foi maior durante o período chuvoso. Nos galinheiros, foi detectado um maior número de espécies, o que pode indicar uma associação entre os insetos e as aves domésticas. Lu. longipalpis foi abundante em ambas as estações. CONCLUSÃO: A presença de galinheiros no peridomicílio e a falta de barreiras físicas nas residências são fatores que podem favorecer a transmissão de Leishmania spp. na localidade. Os resultados deste estudo podem servir como linha de base para a orientação das ações de vigilância entomológica e controle vetorial em Tomé-Açu.
Two new species of Tonnoira Enderlein from Brazil, T. distincta sp. nov., and T. robusta sp. nov., are described an illustrated. Tonnoira plumaria Quate is transferred to the genus Platyplastinx Enderlein.
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