Nocturnal activity and forestry-urban dispersal of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) from an ecotourism park in Amazonian Brazil

Abstract

Phlebotomine sand flies are insects of notorious importance in public health, mainly due to their involvement in the transmission of Leishmania protozoa. Their flight activity occurs predominantly in the twilight/night period, being stimulated mainly by the need to search for food and reproduction. Despite being naturally wild, some species are able to invade anthropized environments. Present work aimed to assess the nocturnal activity and forestry-urban dispersal of phlebotomine sand flies from an ecotourism park in Belém, Amazonian Brazil. The study area comprised a horizontal transect, extending from a forest park to the neighboring urban environment, in Belém. Sampling was conducted with night-operating light traps. Nocturnal activity was assessed through time-set captures with a collection bottle rotator in the forest environment. Dispersal was assessed through captures carried out along the transect, starting from the forest edge (0 m), extending to the urban environment (50–200 m), phlebotomine sand flies were identified. Abundance, richness, diversity, and sampling sufficiency were estimated. Fourteen species were recorded in the surveyed environments, with Nyssomyia antunesi, Trichophoromyia brachipyga, and Trichophoromyia ubiquitalis being the most abundant. Nocturnal activity behavior of Ny. antunesi occurred between 8 PM and 4 AM while that of Th. brachipyga and Th. ubiquitalis occurred between 2 AM and 6 AM. In the urban environment, the 150 m site presented the highest abundance. Bichromomyia flaviscutellata was sampled in all sites. Gravid females of Pressatia choti and Bi. flaviscutellata were sampled in the urban environment. Putative differential activity between the species herein assessed and their urban dispersal observed are worthy of note, adding data for supporting vector surveillance at a local scale.