Cristiani de Castilho Sanguinette

Study of sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidade) in visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis areas in central western of Minas Gerais state - Brazil

The transmission of Leishmania involves several species of sand flies that are closely associated with various parasites and reservoirs, with differing transmission cycles in Brazil. A study on the phlebotomine species composition has been conducted in the municipality of Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil, an endemic area for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), which has intense occurrence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases. In order to study the sand flies populations and their seasonality, CDC light traps (HP model) were distributed in 15 houses which presented at least one case of CL or VL and in five urban parks (green areas). Collections were carried out three nights monthly from September 2010 to August 2011. A total of 1064 phlebotomine specimens were collected belonging to two genera and seventeen species: Brumptomyia brumpti, Lutzomyia bacula, Lutzomyia cortelezzii, Lutzomyia lenti, Lutzomyia sallesi, Lutzomyia longipalpis, Lutzomyia migonei, Lutzomyia intermedia, Lutzomyia neivai, Lutzomyia whitmani, Lutzomyia christenseni, Lutzomyia monticola, Lutzomyia pessoai, Lutzomyia aragaoi, Lutzomyia brasiliensis, Lutzomyia lutziana, and Lutzomyia sordellii. L. longipalpis, the main vector of Leishmania infantum in Brazil, was the most frequent species, accounting for 76.9% of the total, followed by L. lenti with 8.3%, this species is not a proven vector. Green and urban areas had different sand flies species composition, whereas the high abundance of L. longipalpis in urban areas and the presence of various vector species in both green and urban areas were also observed. Our data point out to the requirement of control measures against phlebotomine sand flies in the municipality of Divinópolis and adoption of strategies aiming entomological surveillance.

Sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) collected on the banks of the Velhas River in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Leishmaniases are endemic to several Brazilian states, including Minas Gerais. As many cases of these diseases are diagnosed in Minas Gerais every year, this paper aimed to determine the diversity of the species of sandflies vector of leishmaniases, in Lassance and Corinto on the banks of the Velhas River. Over two years, 21,014 specimens of sandflies, belonging to 19 species were captured with light traps. Of these specimens, Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto 1926) (84.18%), Nyssomyia intermedia (Lutz & Neiva 1912) (13.41%), Evandromyia lenti(Mangabeira 1938) (0.99%) and Evandromyia sallesi (Galvão & Coutinho 1939) (0.48%) were the most represented. The former two species could be involved in the epidemiological chain of leishmaniasis in this region. No significant difference was found between the species compositions on the two river banks.

Description of evandromyia spelunca, a new phlebotomine species of the cortelezzii complex, from a cave in Minas Gerais State, Brazil (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae)

BackgroundThe cave fauna of the Brazil is poorly documented, and among the insects those live or frequent caves and their adjacent environments phlebotomine sand flies call for special attention because several species are vectors of pathogens among vertebrates hosts. A new species of sand fly from Minas Gerais is described based in females and males collected in a cave of the municipality of Lassance.ResultsThe morphological characters of the new species permit to include in the Evandromyia genus, cortelezzii complex. This complex consists of three species: Evandromyia corumbaensis (Galati, Nunes, Oshiro & Rego, 1989), Evandromyia cortelezzii (Brethes, 1923) and Evandromyia sallesi (Galvao & Coutinho, 1940).ConclusionsThe new species can be separate from the others of the cortelezzii complex through morphological characters of the male terminalia and female spermathecae.

Ecological aspects of phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) from a cave of the speleological province of Bambuí, Brazil.

Phlebotomines are invertebrate hosts of Leishmania genus species which are etiological agents of leishmaniases in humans and other mammals. Sandflies are often collected in entomological studies of caves both in the inner area and the adjacent environments. Caves are ecotypes clearly different from the external environment. Several caves have been opened to public visitation before any studies were performed and the places do not have scientific monitoring of the fauna, flora, geological and geographical characteristics. These events can lead to the loss of geological and biological information. Considering these aspects, this study aimed to describe the sand fly fauna, including the ecological features, in a limestone cave at the Speleological Province of Bambuí (Minas Gerais State, Brazil). A total of 8,354 specimens of sandflies belonging to 29 species were analyzed: Lutzomyia cavernicola (20%), Nyssomyia intermedia (15%), Martinsmyia oliveirai (13%), Evandromyia spelunca (12%), Evandromyia sallesi (11%), Migonemyia migonei (9%), Nyssomyia whitmani (9%), Sciopemyia sordellii (4%) and Lutzomyia longipalpis (2%). The others species represent 5% of the total. This manuscript presents data found on richness, diversity, evenness and seasonality, comparing the sand fly fauna trapped in the cave and its surroundings.

Description of a new phlebotomine species, Martinsmyia reginae sp. nov. (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) from a cave in the state of Tocantins Brazil

As inhabitants of forested areas, caves and anthropic environments, the phlebotomines deserve special attention because some species are able to transmit trypanosomatids, bacteria and viruses to vertebrates. Phlebotomines are also a nuisance because they cause painful bites, which may ultimately produce allergic manifestations. The lack of information about the presence and behaviours of sand flies in caves has aroused the curiosity of researchers for a long time. In the present paper, we describe a new species of sand fly that was captured in a cave located in the municipal district of Arraias in the southeastern region of the state of Tocantins. The morphological features of this new species permit it to be included in the alphabetica group of the Martinsmyia genus.

Hourly Activity and Natural Infection of Sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) Captured from the Aphotic Zone of a Cave, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Sandflies are holometabolous insects that are of great epidemiological importance in the neotropical region as vectors of leishmaniases. Caves are ecotopes that significantly differ from external environments and, among the insects that live or visit their internal area and adjacent environment, sandflies are commonly found. Based on this context, the objective of this work was to examine the period of activity of sandflies in the cave environment in the aphotic zone. Thus, four sandfly captures were conducted, one in each season of the year, in a cave where studies on the bioecological aspects of sandfly fauna have been conducted since 2008. In this same study, we have also noticed the presence of flagellates in some captured females. Catches were carried out for 24 hours using a Shannon trap, light bait, and cave walls were actively searched. We collected a total of 638 sandflies, representing 11 species. The most abundant species and with more intense period of activity were, in descending order: Lu. cavernicola (62%), Ev. spelunca (16%) and Ev. sallesi (14%). A total of 69 females were dissected to check for natural infection, and in five specimens we found living flagellated forms: two Ev. spelunca, two Ev. sallesi and one Sc. sordellii. This study shows that the activity of some species caught in the aphotic zone of the cave, especially Lu. cavernicola, differs from what has already been reported in previous sandfly captures, which are almost always conducted at night and during twilight. The existence of sandflies that were naturally infected with flagellates and the lack of awareness regarding the behaviour of sandflies in cave environments are strong indicators of the need for further study on this group of insects in this ecotope, as a safety measure to protect the visitors of such environment.

Description of Trichophoromyia uniniensis, a new phlebotomine species (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) of Amazonas State, Brazil

BackgroundA new species of phlebotomine sand flies belonging to Trichophoromyia Barretto, 1962 genus is described, based on males collected in Jaú National Park, Amazonas state, Brazil.MethodsThe Sand flies were mounted in Canada balsam. They were measured with a binocular Olympus CH-2 microscope with the aid of a micrometer objective and the drawings were done with the help of a camera lucida.ResultsThis new species named Trichophoromyia uniniensis sp. nov. is closely related to Trichophoromyia omagua (Martins, Llanos & Silva, 1976). The former can be distinguished from the latter by the shape of its paramere that has the lower apical region turned up in the new species.ConclusionWith the new species here described a total of 39 species belonging to the Trichophoromyia genus are now known, most of them present in the Amazon rainforest.

Anomalies in the Sand Fly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Brazil

Lutzomyia longipalpis is the main species involved in the epidemiological cycle of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil. This species shows a wide geographic distribution and belongs to a group that has 2 setae in the paramere with the curved tips towards the apex of this structure among other characteristics. Morphological characters in the genitalia of phlebotomines are essential for correct identification of species. The aim of this study was to report the finding of unilateral and bilateral anomalies in the paramere of L. longipalpis males collected in Várzea da Palma municipality, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Twelve collections were made during the period April 2009 to March 2010, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention light traps, HP model. Of the 8,832 male L. longipalpis collected, we found 6 types of unilateral anomalies and 2 types of bilateral anomalies in 0.5% of the insects collected. The anomalies were described according to number, position, and size of the setae of paramere. This information will be useful in the validation of new species.

Biogeographical aspects of the occurrence of Nyssomyia neivai and Nyssomyia intermedia (Diptera: Psychodidae) in a sympatric area of the Brazilian savannah

Nyssomyia intermedia and Nyssomyia neivai constitute a species complex associated with Leishmania transmission. The aim of this study was to analyse the ecological profiles of the Ny. intermedia and Ny. neivai populations in a sympatric area in the Brazilian savannah along the banks of the Velhas River. Captures were performed from July 2003-June 2005 in two distinct environments: a gallery forest with various degrees of anthropogenic modification and animal shelters. A total of 20,508 Ny. neivai (86%) and Ny. intermedia (14%) sandflies were collected. The difference between the proportions of the sandflies that were collected (Ny. neivai/Ny. intermedia) per bank was significant. The right bank presented a greater number of sandflies (65%) and more preserved vegetation. The abundance of Ny. neivai was higher than that of Ny. intermedia on both banks. The results demonstrate that anthropic activities can affect the sandfly populations in this area, thereby leading to a reduction in species abundance. Nevertheless, the environments with higher levels of antropogenic modification displayed sandfly population numbers that favour the Leishmania transmission cycle.

Description of a new species, Pintomyia dissimilis nov. sp., a phlebotomine fossil from Dominican Republic amber (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae)

BackgroundPhlebotomine sandflies are the vectors of etiological agents of leishmaniases in several areas of the world. In the Neotropical Region, the biodiversity of these insects is more than other regions, probably due the long evolutionary period of this group. Miocene amber from Dominican Republic, currently, has a record of 14 extinct species of Phlebotomine sandflies.ResultsThis paper describes a new fossil species of phlebotomine sandfly from amber found in Dominican Republic. This new species is based on morphological characters of a male such as 5° palpomere longer than 3° + 4°, three well-developed spines in the gonostyle, lateral lobe longer than gonocoxite and permit inclusion of the new species in the genus Pintomyia, series serrana. The paramere, with a curvature in the ventral margin, of the middle of the structure, separates the new species from the others fossils or extant species.ConclusionThe new species described in the present study named Pintomyia dissimilis nov. sp. is well differenciated from all known species in this genus.