New Records of Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) From the Western Brazilian Amazon and the Description of the Female of Pintomyia fiocruzi

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>An entomological survey was conducted in several localities of Rondônia State, and new records were obtained for seven sand fly species: Evandromyia apurinan Shimabukuro, Figueira &amp; Silva, 2013, Evandromyia carmelinoi (Ryan, Fraiha, Lainson &amp; Shaw, 1986), Micropygomyia echinatopharynx Andrade-Filho, Galati, Andrade &amp; Falcão, 2004, Nyssomyia urbinattii Galati &amp; Galvis, 2012, Pintomyia duckei Oliveira, Alencar &amp; Freitas, 2018, Psathyromyia pradobarrientosi (Le Pont, Matias, Martinez &amp; Dujardin, 2004), and Sciopemyia vattierae (Le Pont &amp; Desjeux, 1992). Herein, we also describe the female of Pintomyia fiocruzi Pereira Júnior, Pessoa, Marivalva &amp; Medeiros, 2019. The female has spermathecae with a detached apical ring similar to the spermathecae of Pintomyia serrana (Damasceno &amp; Arouck, 1949), Pintomyia odax (Fairchild &amp; Hertig, 1961), Pintomyia ottolinai (Ortiz &amp; Scorza, 1963), and Pintomyia robusta (Galati, Cáceres &amp; Le Pont, 1995). Here, we provide characters to separate Pi. fiocruzi from Pi. serrana and Pi. odax. Pintomyia ottolinai has a trans-Andean distribution and Pi. robusta has not been found in Brazil and in our studies, we associated the females found in this study with Pi. fiocruzi males found at the same collection sites. Our findings highlight the importance of entomological fauna surveys and demonstrate the need for taxonomists to study species diversity in Rondônia. This study increases the number of sand fly species recorded in Rondônia to 143.</jats:p>

Vertical stratification of sand fly diversity in relation to natural infections of Leishmania sp. and blood-meal sources in Jamari National Forest, Rondônia State, Brazil

“…Since 2016, our study group has been conducting surveys to assess vector species diversity and the prevalence of Leishmania parasites in Rondônia [ 12 , 13 , 18 , 19 ]. To date, 143 sand fly species have been recorded in Rondônia [ 20 ]⁠ and Lu . davisi has been identified as a potential vector because it occurs in high abundance and field-collected females of the species have been tested positive for Leishmania DNA [ 10 , 11 , 13 ].…”

Online catalogue of the Coleção de Flebotomíneos (FIOCRUZ/COLFLEB), a biological collection of American sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) held at Fiocruz Minas, Brazil

“…The data associated with the biological specimens deposited in FIOCRUZ/COLFLEB are of importance because they (i) describe the distribution of sand flies in different parts of Brazil, and (ii) have a good temporal coverage – some specimens date back to 1939, while the most recent deposit was recorded in 2021. These data can be used for many different applications, in different research areas, including taxonomy and systematics [ 5 – 7 ] , and ecological niche modelling [ 8 ] , among others [ 9 ] , to vector control activities [ 19 , 20 ] . …”

“…Os dados associados aos espécimes biológicos depositados na FIOCRUZ/COLFLEB são importantes porque (i) descrevem a distribuição dos flebotomíneos em diferentes partes do Brasil, e (ii) têm uma boa cobertura temporal – alguns espécimes datam de 1939, enquanto o depósito mais recente foi registrado em 2021. Esses dados podem ser usados para muitas aplicações diferentes, em diferentes áreas de pesquisa, incluindo taxonomia e sistemática [ 5 – 7 ] , e modelagem de nicho ecológico [ 8 ] , entre outros [ 9 ] , para subsidiar atividades de controle [ 19 , 20 ] . …”

“…The deposited sand flies were usually collected using light traps and have been identified by highly trained specialists using available taxonomic keys [ 2 , 4 ] . The specimens can support research in the areas of taxonomy and systematics [ 5 – 7 ] , and their associated data can be used in ecological niche/species distribution modelling [ 8 ] , among other applications [ 9 ] . …”

“…Os flebotomíneos depositados geralmente foram coletados usando armadilhas de luz e foram identificados por especialistas altamente treinados usando chaves taxonômicas disponíveis [ 2 , 4 ] . Os espécimes podem subsidiar pesquisas nas áreas de taxonomia e sistemática [ 5 – 7 ] , e seus dados associados podem ser usados em modelagem de distribuição de nichos ecológicos/espécies [ 8 ] , entre outras aplicações [ 9 ] . …”