Ecology and spatiotemporal dynamics of sandflies in the Mediterranean Languedoc region (Roquedur area, Gard, France)

Abstract

BackgroundPhlebotomine sandflies are hematophagous insects widely present in Western Mediterranean countries and known for their role as Leishmania vectors. During the last ten years, the risk of leishmaniasis re-emergence has increased in France. However, sandfly biology and ecology in the South of France remain poorly known because the last detailed study on their spatiotemporal dynamics was performed over 30 years ago. The aim of the present study was to update our knowledge on sandfly ecology by determining their spatiotemporal dynamics and by investigating the relationship between environmental/climatic factors and the presence and abundance of sandflies in the South of France.MethodsAn entomological survey was carried out during three years (2011–2013) along a 14 kilometer-long transect. The findings were compared with the data collected along the same transect in 1977. Data loggers were placed in each station and programmed to record temperature and relative humidity every six hours between April 2011 and November 2014. Several environmental factors (such as altitude, slope and wall orientation (North, East, West and South)) were characterized at each station.ResultsFour sandfly species were collected: Phlebotomus ariasi and Sergentomyia minuta, which were predominant, Ph. perniciosus and Ph. mascittii. Sandfly activity within the studied area started in May and ended in October with peaks in July-August at the optimum average temperature. We found a positive effect of altitude and temperature and a negative effect of relative humidity on Ph. ariasi and Se. minuta presence. We detected interspecific differences and non-linear effects of these climatic variables on sandfly abundance. Although the environment has considerably changed in 30 years, no significant difference in sandfly dynamics and species diversity was found by comparing the 1977 and 2011–2013 data.ConclusionOur study shows that this area maintains a rich sandfly fauna with high Ph. ariasi population density during the active season. This represents a risk for Leishmania transmission. The analysis revealed that the presence and abundance of Ph. ariasi and Se. minuta were differently correlated with the environmental and climatic factors. Comparison with the data collected in 1977 highlighted the sandfly population stability, suggesting that they can adapt, in the short and long term, to changing ecosystems.

Ecology and morphological variations in wings of Phlebotomus ariasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the region of Roquedur (Gard, France): a geometric morphometrics approach

“…It was not possible to make any conclusion for the other months (May, August and September) due to the low number of individuals captured. These differences observed between June and July may be due to environmental variations as it was observed in previous study [36]. The individuals captured in June and July have certainly emerged at the end of May and June, respectively.…”

Phlebotomine sand flies in Southwest Germany: an update with records in new locations

“…The number of trapped sand flies was always very small, usually only 1 or 2 specimens. In most studies, P. mascittii is found in low population densities [41][42][43][44]. The low density may be due to the specific ecological niche they are adapted to (caves, tunnels and natural barns) [41,45].…”

Climate Change and the Neglected Tropical Diseases

“…In the European context, it has been demonstrated that the density of Phlebotomus ariasi at a particular sampling location is affected by both minimum and maximum temperatures and to some extent by RH (Prudhomme et al, 2015). South facing slopes, wall vegetation, soil type and neighbouring land cover precipitation may also be important factors in determining local abundance of this and other species (Ballart et al, 2014).…”