Larval Microhabitats of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) in an Endemic Focus of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Colombia

Abstract

An intensive search for the larval habitats of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva) was conducted from November 1992 to October 1993 at a small rural community in Colombia where American visceral leishmaniasis is endemic. Emergence traps constructed from polyvinyl chloride pipes were used to sample a variety of soil microhabitats that included edge areas of covered pigpens, cattle corrals, the base of trees, and leaf litter at sites within 40 m of a house, rocks in fields located between 50 and 500 m from houses, and sites within a patch of secondary forest (rocks, base of palm trees, and leaf litter). The teneral status of the sand flies captured in the emergence traps was confirmed by laboratory studies that determined the rate of terminalia rotation in male L. longipalpis and the rate of cuticular growth layer formation of the thoracic phragma in both sexes of this species. A total of 58 teneral sand flies was captured during the study period (49 wk). Fifteen specimens were L. longipalpis; of these 11 (5 sand flies per square meter) were captured near pigpens, 3 (1.4 sand flies per square meter) were captured near rock resting sites, and 1 (1.6 sand flies per square meter) was collected at the base of a tree. The remainder of the sand flies were either L. trinidadensis (Newstead) or L. cayennensis (Flock & Abonnenc). Our results indicate that L. longipalpis larvae were dispersed widely in sites near houses, rather than concentrated in a few optimal microhabitats.

Peridomiciliary Breeding Sites of Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in an Endemic Area of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Southeastern Brazil

“…The homogenous occurrence of L. intermedia in samples at three different distance stations from houses and domestic animal shelters is concordant with the findings of studies that identified sand fly breeding sites in a variety of ecotopes. 21,25,27 On the other hand, the present results contradict those of other studies that indicate a preference for breeding sites close to domestic animals, where adults and immatures would have greater access to food and shelter. 21,23,24 Previous experiments show that female L. longipalpis searching for breeding sites are attracted by volatile compounds present in vertebrate feces and by pheromones secreted by other females onto eggs during oviposition.…”

“…[16][17][18][19][20][21] However, in the Americas, there have been few studies on peridomiciliary breeding sites; many studies generally involve isolated collections of a few specimens. [22][23][24][25] In Brazil, Casanova 26 detected breeding sites of L. intermedia and L. whitmani in an ACL area, whereas Deane and Deane 27 identified various breeding sites of Lutzomyia longipalpis in an area of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) transmission, by surveying both forested and peridomiciliary habitats. In AVL areas, L. longipalpis is encountered in habitats that are completely urbanized, [28][29][30][31] providing an epidemiological scenario very different from that observed in ACL-endemic areas.…”

Study of sand fly fauna in an endemic area of American cutaneous leishmaniasis and canine visceral leishmaniasis in the municipality of Espírito Santo do Pinhal, São Paulo, Brazil

“…The combined effects of rainfall, air temperature, evapotranspiration and soil water balance likely influence the quality of the breeding habitats, consequently determining the fluctuations in the adult sand fly population (Rutledge & Ellenwood 1975, Morrison et al 1995, Ferro et al 1997, Casanova et al 2009). Periods of moderate water surplus seem to be favourable for a population increase of the four most abundant species in Espírito Santo do Pinhal.…”

The effect of fragmentation on phlebotomine communities (Diptera: Psychodidae) in areas of ombrophilous forest in São Luís, state of Maranhão, Brazil

“…Phlebotomines are holometabolous (KillickKendrick 1999) that live in a moist substrate and feed on organic material (Ferro et al 1997). However, adults feeding habits will depend on their sex.…”